Forbidden Trust
by Kasena
Summary: Danny Fenton was born human. When he was a child his parents trained him to be a ruthless ghost hunter. He got shocked by the portal, but remained human. We've heard this song and dance before. But for there to be balance, there must be a half ghost in each timeline. If Danny isn't one, who is? And can he trust this newcomer to Amity Park, or will it cost him his life? Iambic Prose
1. From The Beginning

**A/N: Happy Dannyversary, everyone! I thought I'd celebrate with a little fic I threw together. Before you ask, it _is_ all written, therefore you won't have to worry about me taking time to write. Instead, I'll be editing before updating. Now, if you're here, more likely than not you've read/heard of From the Beginning and/or Guardian. Well, Nomi (the author) also made a few drabbles that we lovingly refer to as the Ink Wells. Among them was a small drabble, couldn't have been more than 10k words. Imagine Danny as a human. Raised a ghost hunter his whole life. We've heard of this song and dance, but there must be balance in the universe. If he's not half ghost, then who is? I'll give you a hint, it's not Sam. If you're even more curious, you can read the drabble over here: www fanfiction net/s/10643144/1/Ink-Well (replace the spaces with dots) or continue reading down below. Understandably, this may cause some confusion. I always thought it best that we start...**

* * *

**From The Beginning**

Danny Fenton looked through all the things in his backpack, going through a mental checklist. English homework? Check. Math textbook? Checkeroo. Ecto Pistol and Fenton Thermos? Checkmate. He grinned. Everything seemed to be in order. Not only that, he had also gotten a great night's sleep! Today was going to be a great day, he could already tell! Not bothering to say goodbye to his parents, who were busy in the basement as per the usual in the Fenton household, he hopped in his sister's car.

The ride to school was driven in comfortable silence, as Jazz never bothered to turn on the radio for the five minute drive. Once Jazz had parked in her usual spot, Danny was unbuckling his seat belt and throwing open the door, nearly forgetting his backpack in the process with Jazz shouting at him to have a good day. "Hey, Danny!" Seeing his friend in the red beret waving him over, he grinned, and also waved. Giving his sister a quick one-armed hug, he walked over to where his friends had decided to sit for the morning, on the side of the stairs.

He put his purple bag next to theirs, and looked up to them. It sucked being shorter than everyone. "Hey, Tuck. Hey, Sam. What's up?"

Sam grinned, pointing upwards, "Black clouds."

Danny tilted his head upwards. Just as the goth had said, menacing dark grey clouds were swirling in the sky above them. He blinked as one big drop of rain landed on his forehead. Besides that, there wasn't much actual rain. "So, big storm today, then?"

Tucker sighed, waving away his questions, "Yeah, yeah, nobody cares about a little stupid weather. I have big news!" The geek looked around, obviously trying to 'hide' something, and leaned in closer. "There's a new kid at school, today."

At once, Danny's eyes narrowed with suspicion and disgust. New kids were nearly unheard of. The last time they had gotten a new kid, Danny found his head getting stuffed down toilets, and his face pounded in every other day. God damn the day Dash Baxter came to Amity Park, and all the days after that. "Gimme information." There was no way he'd let this one get the jump on him. This time, it would be Danny on top, not some stupid new kid.

The techno-geek nodded, "Alright, well, this one's a total nerd, more than Mikey and Nathan and Lester. All we've got so far is that he's in our grade, he came here with his mom, and his name is Andrew Riter. Get this, the minute he got out of his car, his nose was in a book. He looks like-"

Sam rolled her eyes at their antics, interrupting. "If Danny wants to know what he looks like so damn much, he can see for himself." She pointed to one of the trees in the front yard of the school, "He's right over there."

Danny snapped his head around to where she was pointing. Sitting against the dark, thick trunk of the tree, with a wide berth around him, was a boy with a book in his hands. He had shaggy black hair that was styled just so as to keep it out of his eyes, bright green eyes behind glasses that seemed to shimmer as they scanned the pages, and a worn and beat up purple trench coat that would make him recognizable in any crowd. He did his best to read the body language of the teen. He looked uncaring and indifferent, ignoring everyone and everything around him in favor of the story in front of him. Though, there was something else about him… Something Danny wasn't able to exactly pinpoint.

He glared, not looking away as the new kid turned a page in his book, "You guys, stay away from him. Something about him isn't right… I think he's dangerous."

Behind him, Sam gave a scoff. "You think everyone is dangerous." He brushed off her words. Despite his paranoia sometimes... getting the better of him, he knew when something was up. And there was definitely something up with that Andrew kid. He just needed to find out what.

* * *

**So, have you guessed it, yet? I bet you have. You clever readers, you. But why would Danny think he's dangerous? And who exactly _is_ Andrew Riter, anyway? All questions that will be answered... in time. I bet none of you can guess the ending before we get there, can ya? We'll see... I have hopes for some of you, yet. Well, that's all for this chapter. And this is me, signing off. Kasena, out!**


	2. Until Next We Meet

**A/N: It seems like you guys are at least somewhat interested in this story. If you aren't, then why are you viewing it? Why don't you get out of here, meanie faces? But yeah! So, you liked that last chapter? Well, there's certainly more where that came from! And I can say that I am 93% sure that is my shortest chapter, total. I'm sure you're excited to get to the new chapter, so I fear I must say...**

* * *

**Until Next We Meet**

Danny stopped off at his locker, taking out the notebooks he would need before lunch. No use going to his locker between classes, he was always almost late as it was. He turned, and headed towards his first period. English with Lancer. One of the classes he didn't have with either of his 'sidekicks', as they often joked they were. But really, it wasn't that surprising. With Danny's ghost hunting life, he may as well have been the hero of some stupid Saturday morning cartoon. All he needed was a big arch nemesis, or some big plot that he didn't know about. Lancer greeted him on his way in, and he grudgingly nodded in return. While he may hate English with a burning passion, that didn't make Lancer a bad teacher. Good teacher, bad class.

He began to head to his regular seat -and really, it was a great seat. Second row from the front, right next to the windows, no better seat- until he stopped, and glared daggers at the person sitting there. That new kid thought he could come into _his_ town, go to _his_ school, and sit in _his_ seat? The one Danny had worked hard for by letting other people know it was his so that he wouldn't have to suffer sitting near Dash? That would not fly. He walked right up to that guy who was in no way, shape, or form better than him, to give him a piece of his mind. He took in a sharp breath, ready to go off on him and say exactly what was on his mind, when the bell rang signaling for class to begin. "Danny, please take a seat, we're starting class."

The boy deflated, scowling at them both. Lancer was in on this. It was all a conspiracy against him. A conspiracy against the entire Fenton line and them never getting their seats. A conspiracy to make sure that he died a terrible, horrible, gruesome death that- Okay, no, wow, Danny. Goin' a bit far, there. Sighing, he went to the only seat left, which was in the very back corner, behind Dash, next to Kwan, and one of the most avoided seats in the class. Even if you were part of their group, you didn't want to sit there. Partially because of how big Dash was, you could barely see past him. "Hey, Fentwerp. Think you're good enough to sit with us, today? Sorry, I have a game today. I don't need to catch your crazy."

He scoffed, though didn't say anything. God knows what they would do if he did. He was already guaranteed a beating, because he wouldn't be able to escape them fast enough. "Alright, class, settle down. Today, we're going to be starting a partner project. So please, go ahead and pick your partners now so that you don't while I'm still talking."

Danny watched as everyone around him immediately nudged their friend, or smiled at them from across the room. Hell, even _Mikey_ had a partner, but here he was, sitting alone without one! At least if he were in his normal seat, he'd probably be able to have Valerie as a partner. He sighed, and rose his hand. "Mr. Lancer? I don't have a partner."

Lancer barely took a glance at the other pairs in the room before responding, "So it seems. Well, neither does Andrew. You two go ahead and be partners." He withheld a groan. This really was typical. Just his luck. How could this day possibly get any worse? Lancer answered his silent question, "Now, your partner project will be to find two different interpretations of the play, Hamlet, one for each of you."

He groaned out loud this time, but thankfully he wasn't the only one. Most all the class groaned in unison, as though they had all been stabbed by a rusty spoon. Nerds such as Nathan included. Except, Danny noticed, for Andrew. Andrew leaned back in his chair, putting his arms behind his head, and seemed to _scoff_ at Lancer's idea of a project_._ But then, Danny should've expected that. All that reading the guy seemed to do, he probably read the whole thing five times over.

That little thought did, however, bring his mood up. _That's right. Andrew reads a lot. Sure, he's suspicious and untrustworthy, but my grade could go way up with this project. And not only that, this could also be an opportunity to get close to him and try to find out what he's hiding so that I can protect everyone from him! It's perfect!_ He grinned at the realization. Suddenly, English class wasn't looking that bad, after all.

The rest of the class passed mostly with Danny yawning, and not paying attention to a word Lancer said. How could he when he couldn't even see the board? When he was able to see over Dash's shoulder, it was too blurry anyhow. Jeez, Lancer needed to learn to write neater, if Danny couldn't read it from the back. He was watching the clock just waiting for this class to be _over._

Finally, at one point, Lancer broke from his lecture on something or other old timey. Romeo and Juliet? "Alright, I understand that everyone doesn't have much time outside of school, so I'll give you this time to figure something out so you can get started on it. I expect two essays, each on one interpretation of Hamlet, by winter break. And do be sure to mention your partner's interpretation in your essay."

Picking up his stuff, Danny quickly moved over towards An- _his_ seat. Anything to get away from Dash and his cronies before they caught up to him. Andrew nodded to him, moving a bit of his stuff so Danny could put some of his things on the desk. Andrew put his hand out with the intention to shake, "Hello, we haven't met yet. I'm Andrew Riter."

Danny glared at the hand. He wouldn't shake the hand of some lousy… Not Trusty McStealerson. He huffed and turned his head, ignoring it. "Danny Fenton."

Andrew slowly brought his hand to his chest, and then back down onto the desk. Was it just him, or was this boy incredibly hostile? "Yes, well, um… I have free period third?"

Danny nodded, not even looking at him, instead choosing to examine his ever so fascinating fingernails. Anything was better than this, except for being back in Dash's corner. "Same."

He gave a small grin, having gotten a non-negative response, "Oh, that's fantastic. We can use that time to work on the project together!" Getting only another nod in return, his grin fell as he sighed, slumping in his seat. Obviously gaining trust and reputation around here wasn't easy. Must be one of those small town things, since he never experienced any of this in the cities he'd lived in. The bell rang, and they both leapt up from their seats, ready to leave. Danny was eager to get away from Dash, and Andrew was just eager to get out of this class. Andrew looked hopefully at his partner, "See you at the library?" He didn't get a response as Danny walked away.

* * *

**Poor Andrew, huh? Just can't seem to catch a break. It's not his fault he's new! Or is it... Guess we'll just have to wait and see! I don't think we really have to wait, though, to know that these two are gonna be the bitterest of bittery rivals. You can tell. Stone cold murderers, the both of them. Maybe there's more to both of them than meets the eye. Well, that's all for this chapter. And this is me, signing off. Kasena, out!**


	3. Who Ya Gonna Call

**A/N: Gonna be honest. I wrote out these first three all at once, when I had no internet. I've decided screw the schedule, I can put my plan into action at any time. Well, not anytime datewise, but storywise, it might be better to do it later. I can make it more dramatic. And, since my lovely friend who shines like the _Moon_ gave me such nice guesses as to what could happen in the future, I am uploading it, now.**

* * *

**Who Ya Gonna Call**

The next class was computer science, which, thankfully, he and Tucker had together. But really, it shouldn't have been all that surprising. After all, they were bros. They did everything they could together. They took that opportunity to work together to work out the final bugs in his invention. This one… This would be the one. They'd finally get that he was like them. He just needed one more screw from the metal shop, which Tucker would probably get him later in the day. Danny stared at the silver goggles with pride. His first invention, and they were sure to be a huge success. Not only in the ghost hunting community, but also with his parents. All too soon, the bell was ringing. "So, find out anything about the new kid?" Tucker asked as he saved all the files he was working on to his flash drive, and shut down his computer. One could never be too careful.

He groaned, dragging a hand down his face, "Only that I have to do a stupid partner project with him in English, and that we have the same free period."

Tucker winced in sympathy, "Ouch, sorry, bro. Well, it can't be all bad. I mean, he could be a ghost, for all we know," he chuckled nervously. There was no way that could happen, as Danny's alarm hadn't gone off at all, yet. But just in case, he knocked on the door frame as they left the classroom.

Danny glared, "Tucker, three things," He said, holding up three fingers, "One, don't even joke about that." He put down his ring finger as though marking it off of a checklist. "Two, he can't be a ghost. Otherwise, the short range ghost radar my parents gave me would be going off." He put down the index finger. "And three." He waved the hand he had been using as his list, which still had the middle finger up.

Tucker waved his hands defensively with a large grin, "Woah, dude. I know I'm handsome, but I'm not into you like that!"

Danny shook his head. It really was a wonder how he put up with his friend. But then, someone had to. "Just think before jinxing us, Bad Luck Tuck."

"It was one time!" He called as the two walked in separate directions down the halls.

Grumbling to himself, he made his way to the library. The librarian greeted him, to which he responded with a nod. At least he didn't hate him. He walked over to the usual seat he sat in, only to glare. Again?! What was with this guy?! He stomped over and practically threw his backpack on the ground. As he sat down, he pointed at him accusingly, causing the older to jump, having been a bit startled by his sharp movements. "I don't trust you. I don't know anything about you, and I feel like you're hiding something." Seeing Andrew raise an eyebrow as a question to his declaration, Danny narrowed his eyes in determination. "I don't know _what_ you're hiding, but it's _something._"

Andrew nodded in agreement, and that surprised Danny. He wasn't going to deny it? That was weird. But those thoughts were wooshed away when the bookworm spoke. "Well, when you think about it, isn't everyone hiding a secret?" he asked as he closed his book, and set it down. Danny opened his mouth to protest, only to close it again. He made an irritated grumble and crossed his arms. The teen did have a point. "It would make sense for you to be suspicious of me, however." This time, it was Danny who raised an eyebrow. Andrew took this as an opportunity to explain, "I am a new student, and judging from what I've seen, this school doesn't often get transfers."

"Not really," Danny shrugged, studying the teen. He looked like any other fifteen-year-old, besides the fact that his teeth seemed a little too sharp. "We all sort of grew up together, or at least attended the same schools. So, to see someone here that no one knows? Just a tad suspicious."

He nodded solemnly, leaning forward as he did so. "I understand, you just want to protect the people you care about," Andrew smiled. Danny blinked at the quick flash of heavy weight and pain in the other's eyes. It was so fast he had almost missed it, but... "If you believe nothing else I say, at least believe that I mean no harm, to you or anyone."

The younger watched him for any sign of trickery or deceit. Something to tell him he was right, that this person shouldn't be trusted. When he saw none, he finally nodded. "...I believe you." And he did. Danny didn't always have an explanation for the things he did or thought, but he _did _know a good person when he saw one, and Andrew, while secretive and mysterious, was at least telling the truth when he said he didn't mean harm. So, if that was the case, it was only polite to introduce himself, as a way of starting off fresh. "I'm Danny, by the way. Danny Fenton."

Andrew shook his hand with a smile, understanding his meaning, "Pleasure to meet you, Danny. I'm Andrew, Andrew Riter." The two shared a grin, though the moment was interrupted by a sudden bout of screaming, along with a high pitched beeping. They jumped, startled by the unexpected noise, as Danny cursed and jumped up. "I'm guessing by your reaction this is a common occurrence?"

Danny rifled through his backpack. He pulled out a silver and green Ecto Pistol, as they could hear the loud, but somewhat far off cry of "**GHOST****!"** Attaching a thermos to his belt, he jabbed his finger into his ecto signature scanner, which he just dubbed his 'ghost alarm.' As everything else, it was 'gifted' to him by his parents. After pressing a few buttons, the sounds died down. Danny turned to Andrew, who seemed extremely tense as his eyes darted around the room. Danny cleared his throat, gaining his attention. "Get out of here. Get somewhere safe."

He nodded frantically. "Good idea! That is a good idea! I'm just going to go over there! Where no one can see me!" He ran, not even grabbing his things, and hid behind the science fiction shelf. Once Danny was sure that he was safe from relative harm, he clicked the safety off his Ecto Pistol. You only made that mistake once.

Ready to head out, he stopped at hearing an incessant beeping. He looked back to his scanner with confusion. "What? There's two?! Shit!" Skidding out into the hallways, he looked around quickly, hearing the screaming coming from the gym. It was really useful that, since ghosts had started appearing, the school had allowed him and his sister to carry weapons with them for emergencies like this.

Running faster, his sister joined his side, staff held out and orange goggles over her own eyes. Sometimes, she looked so similar to their mother it was frightening. "I see the hero complex took hold of you again, huh?" Blushing, Danny stuck his tongue out at his sister. Everyone always said he had a hero complex, and they didn't know what they were talking about. At his reaction, Jazz only laughed. "Come on little brother, let's deal with this _before _Mom and Dad come rushing in." She looked at him, "Still working on those goggles? Sure you don't need help?"

He nearly growled at her words, spitting out, "No! I don't need help! Let's just focus on getting this ghost! I'll distract it, you get the other students and teachers out of here." Jazz nodded, not wasting any time arguing as she immediately called for the others' attention, directing them out of the gym.

He hid behind a bleacher, peaking out to try to get a view of the area. The gym looked as it normally did. The few things that were different were the basketballs, still bouncing and rolling a little, and the unliving embodiment of a shadow floating close to the ceiling. Hearing her gleeful giggle, he leaped out from his hiding spot, "Hey! Creepy shadow lady! Don't you want more of a challenge?!"

She turned towards him, hands clasped, and her smile was sickeningly sweet. "I don't know about a challenge," the ghost purred softly, "But you certainly smell _delicious_." Danny grimaced at the phrase. There went his appetite for lunch, not that there was much of one to begin with. He aimed his gun up towards her, and let off a blast, cursing as the ghost dodged it. This one was quicker than most, which meant it would be more difficult to weaken her. Oh well. Didn't mean she was unbeatable. All ghosts had a weak point, he just needed to find her's.

"State your classification!" Danny demanded, gun aimed at her again. This time he wouldn't allow himself to miss. He couldn't. "As decreed by the Guys-in-White, each ghost has a code name and classification number! State yours, and tell me why you're attacking these students or I _will _open fire!" Sure, his parents had at first been unwilling to follow the policies of the GIW, but after a while, even _they_ found it to be more helpful during fights. Made keeping track of the monsters easier, anyway.

The creature scoffed at his speech, "You? You're nothing but a _child_." She hissed, suddenly appearing in front of him, claws and teeth bared. Danny didn't even flinch as the bright red eyes bore into him, which he was rather proud of. "The name is Spectra, heard of me?" Again, sickeningly sweet. He felt like he was gonna throw up just being this close to her.

"The creepy shadow bastard who sucks out emotions, yeah, I've heard of you," Danny scowled, aiming his gun at her face instead of her core, Spectra only grinning at his reaction. They both knew that that would do nothing but cause pain. Certainly wouldn't disable her. "This school and town are protected by the Fenton Family and an off-branch of the Guys-in-White. By attacking this school, you've declared yourself an enemy of both." Here, Danny's eyes narrowed, "And while the Guys-in-White show mercy on occasion, the Fentons _don't_." Okay, the first part of that may not have been completely true, but she didn't need to know that. In fact, the Guys-in-White were probably _more_ brutal than the Fentons, if that was possible.

Those happy thoughts in mind, he pulled the trigger, letting off a blast, Spectra cursing as it clipped her shoulder when she darted away. Danny only kept his stoic expression, darting for cover as he saw the ecto blasts coming towards him. Flinching as one just barely singed his own shoulder, he disappeared behind the bleachers again, checking to see that all the students had left. Last thing he needed was another incident like the last time. He shuddered involuntarily at the thought.

"Come out, little hunter," Spectra called tauntingly, flying around the ceiling, looking down below. "My, my, so much _negativity _I sense from you. The fear that you won't make your parents proud, the fear that you'll fail, and the utter terror of _ghosts_." Danny flinched as Spectra appeared in front of him. Instead of showing anymore of his fear, he fired again, allowing himself a grin as he nailed her in the chest. She screeched, putting a hand to her chest. She glared at him seething.

He readied his gun again, giving her a determined scowl. "Fentons don't show fear. Our mission is to rid the world of ghosts. Spectra, classification number 358872, you are hereby under ban by the town of Amity Park, and will be withheld as such." Firing one last time, he cursed as Spectra withstood the hit and grabbed him by his shoulders, flying him up to the ceiling. Her talon-like fingers sunk into his shoulder and he bit his lip. Dammit, should have seen this coming. Now, he was gonna hit the ground and break his legs, maybe an arm while he was at it. Fan-fucking-tastic.

"Let's see how well you aim after falling a few dozen feet," She hissed into his ear. Dropping the teen, Danny yelped, wondering how he was going to get out of this one, before he felt himself roughly caught by the back of his shirt. Blinking his eyes open, he saw he was hovering a few inches off the ground, someone breathing heavily from behind him. "_You_! Why are _you_ helping a ghost hunter?!"

A young sounding voice, assumedly the one holding him up, called, "Because he's only trying to defend the people he cares for, that doesn't warrant his own death." Feeling himself slowly put back down onto the floor, Danny immediately launched into action, firing a blast at a distracted Spectra and pulling out a Fenton Thermos, turning it on and capturing her. In one smooth motion he had turned around and aimed his weapon at the newcomer, look of surprise escaping him. The ghost cleared his throat, "If it's all the same to you, I'd rather not be shot at."

Danny only narrowed his eyes, taking in the sight of the new ghost. He looked to be around his age, at least physically. He had messy white hair and glowing ice blue eyes. He noticed pointed ears, sharp teeth, and a purple hood pulled over his head, jacket unzipped and loose on him around a black and white tank top underneath. His somewhat tattered jeans and black converse made Danny think of a punk type teen, were it not for the glasses he wore. If it wasn't for the ethereal purple glow, gray skin, and other small signs of his undeadness, Danny would have thought he was a kid off the street.

"State your classification as given to you by the Guys-in-White." Seeing the ghost give him a confused, and somewhat terrified, look, Danny blinked, shoulders slightly relaxing as he lowered his gun. If this one hadn't encountered the GIW, he was either new, or not a threat. "Each ghost is given a classification name and number upon coming in contact with the Guys-in-White, it's how we keep track."

"I've never run into them," the ghost chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head. "I'm sort of, uh, new around here." Danny was back on guard. That meant there wasn't anything known about this ghost, or its' powers.

"Amity Park is a ghost-free zone. Even if you're new, that should be well known." The ghost only gave a shrug, looking close to fleeing. Strange, ghosts _always_ fought, no exceptions. He should know, it was one of the things that had been drilled into him for as long as he could remember. "You're not allowed to be here."

"Can't you let me go just this once?" he wheedled, looking hopeful. Danny only slipped his gun into a holster at his side before grinning and slipping off his black gloves.

"No. I can't." Launching straight into hand-to-hand combat, he heard the ghost let out a curse in French, moving his arms up to block. Danny had to resist the urge to shake his hand off. That had kinda hurt, having his hand go straight into the ghost's arm. Must be strong. A few minutes into the fight, and Danny could see that the ghost really was new. He wasn't using any of his powers, whatever they may be, and seemed to just be scrambling to block and dodge what he could. Skidding apart the two tensed themselves, the ghost giving him a curious look.

"Why are you holding back on me?" Danny blinked at that, looking surprised to realize that yes, he really was holding back on the new ghost. Hearing the bell for lunch ring, Danny cursed, staring at the ghost before relaxing his stance. "Does this mean I'm free?"

"Keep out of my sight, and stay away from the other hunters… especially the Fentons," Danny muttered, fists clenching at his sides. "Fentons know no fear and do not show mercy." In a flash, the ghost was gone with a troubled expression. Danny cursed as he turned, running back towards the library to grab his bag. "Way to go, Fenton… you just let a ghost escape."

Sighing, he rubbed a hand over his face, looking troubled. It felt like that ghost had been familiar. But he didn't even have a classification number! There was no way for Danny to know him… right?

* * *

**Ugh. Spectra. You have no clue how much I hate her. She's a good character for plot purposes, but anything else... Yeah, no. I don't like her. What? What am I not mentioning? The only important part of that chapter was Spectra. Well, and bro bonding. At least maybe now, Danny will let up on Andrew, a bit, huh? I guess we can only hope. Well, that's all for this chapter. And this is me, signing off. Kasena, out!**


	4. Timely Woes

**A/N: Well, you may have already seen the AO3 update, but here it is on FFN! Are you guys enjoying the chapters, so far? Everything is clear as mud, but don't worry, this next chapter will be a blast! It's okay if it doesn't make sense. It reads like there's a few loose pages, but you'll get the full picture, soon. Maybe you'll be able to see what I mean. If you do, I hope you don't feel any...**

* * *

**Timely Woes**

"I dunno, I guess he's not totally bad. I mean, he doesn't want to hurt people." Danny shrugged as he walked along side his two friends. Sure, the new kid was hiding something, but that didn't mean he was evil. Everyone around them was talking to their own friends, making plans for after school, since it had just ended.

Tucker punched his shoulder lightly with a bright smile, "That's the spirit, Danny! Well, um, not like ghost spirit, but, uh, you know what I mean." As they passed one of the hall windows, Danny looked out, a wide grin crossing his face at seeing the rain splattering against the windows.

Sam saw his reaction and, shaking her head, sighed, "Danny, no, last time you did it you nearly broke your arm."

Not caring what his friend had to say, Danny got a running start, towards the doors of the school entrance, whooping out as he ran. He laughed at the dual groans from his friends as they followed after him.

Outside, Andrew grumbled as he hurriedly set his journal down to rearrange the things in his messenger back. Thankfully, he had set it down on the banister of the stairs outside, so it wouldn't get too wet. Better than putting it on the ground, at least. And the rain was starting to let up a bit. It had been absolutely pouring last period. When he heard a loud call of "GERONIMO," he looked up with confusion.

Danny jumped up onto the banister, feet solid underneath him as he slid down. In a moment, he had thrown his bag off to land safely in the grass. With no more banister to slide on, he hopped off, doing a spin as he landed. Taking a quick glance at his bag, he sighed with relief that it hadn't ended up in a mud puddle. With his _electronic_ goggles in there, it wouldn't have ended well. "NO!" At the shout that had so much pain in it, he turned towards the source.

Andrew felt his heart sink to his feet as he stared. All his hard work. His memories, his hopes. He gingerly picked up the muddied leather book, and flipped to a page he knew by heart. He felt a lump in his throat grow as he looked down at the once white page. Mud was splattered all across, browning the brilliant white smiles of the photograph. His brother's bleached blonde hair was brown, his mother's white shirt was ruined, and his father... He looked through each page, but not one was left untouched. Mud managed to get on each page, making the pages entirely unusable. His writing for years, the happiness of his memories. They were all destroyed.

Danny stepped closer, rubbing the back of his neck. It looked like there was mud all over the book. "Wow, Andrew. I… I am really sorry. I didn't see it there."

Andrew nearly glared up at the boy. Nearly. But no, out of the corner of his eye, he saw the hunter's backpack. Well, if he had to have a book destroyed, so did this boy. In one quick motion, he had picked up the backpack nearby, and thrown it into a nearby mud puddle. He smirked viciously at the horror-struck expression he saw, the pain that was in the younger's eyes that he was sure reflected his own. "Whoops. My bad," he said, no apology whatsoever in his tone. He turned on his heel, picking up his backpack, and went towards the small white car waiting for him. There was nothing that kept him here.

Danny watched as thick black smoke slowly began to rise from the backpack. His eyes widened, and he tugged on Sam and Tucker's shirts, diving towards the ground. "GET DOWN!" Not five seconds later did the backpack explode into a small ball of orange and red, which was immediately put out by the rain, and his papers came fluttering down, being pelted by the rain. He slowly got up, and looked back to the disaster that was his backpack. He fell to his knees, ripping it open and rummaging through it until he pulled out a blackened, sparking pair of goggles. He stared, unsure what else to do with the scorched, dysfunctional invention. He was going to show them to his parents, after school today. Now what did he do?

Andrew turned away completely, smirk growing. Good. That good-for-nothing had been hurt by loss just as much as he had. That made revenge so much sweeter. He climbed into the passenger seat without saying a word. His mother gave a tired smile, "Andrew, dear, how was sch- Andrew? Dear, are you okay?" She turned towards her son fully, worry showing.

He scrubbed at his eyes stubbornly, ignoring the small sniffs he gave out, "Yes, mother, I'm fine." He looked back at the ghost hunter, who was clutching the ruined goggles closely. They had both lost something precious.

_A seven-year-old Andrew looked up at his mother curiously as she handed him a large leatherbound book. He flipped it open, but was greeted by blank pages upon blank pages. Looking back up at her, his mother gave him a smile. "It's for you to write in, mon petite. But you have to promise to only write your most precious thoughts in it, yes?" He nodded, looking back down at the journal in his hands with a grin. He would write about things that made him happy. Or times he was happy. A great way to remember things._

_"Danny? What's that?"_

_A 12 year old Danny grinned up at his sister, before looking back down at the blue paper he wrote on. "It's the blueprint for my first invention! They're goggles like mom and dad's, but you can see __ghost_ _signatures!"_

_"Alright, you sure you don't need any help?" his sister asked with a smile._

_He quickly shook his head, sticking his lip out and pouting at the mere thought, "No, I gotta do it myself! Then mom and dad will see I'm an awesome __ghost_ _hunter like them. They'll see. I'll be great, someday... Yeah..."_

Memories of the past.

Dreams of the future.

Both kept close.

Both destroyed.

* * *

**So? You liked? Those last four lines may be familiar to those of you who read From the Beginning by my wonderful twin, 1337kitsune. If you haven't, I very much recommend the story. Remember to leave a review, cause they make me smile! Alright, have a nice time. Until the next update! Kasena, signing out!**


	5. Fingers Crossed

**A/N: Writing this an quickly cause I should be heading out the door. Enjoy the chapter, love you, blah blah blah. Keep your...**

* * *

**Fingers Crossed**

A blonde woman entered her son's room, flicking on the lights. Her son curled in on himself even more, and with a soft voice, she called to him, "Andrew, dinner is ready."

His voice came out raspy, and even without him turning around, she could tell he had been crying. "I'd really rather not, mother."

She sighed, and came to sit down on his bed beside him. "What is it, mon petite? You've barely spoken a word since you got home." When he didn't respond, she ran her hand through his hair, giving a soft smile. "You know you can tell me anything."

Sylvia was surprised to have her arms full of a crying teenager. "It was the Fenton boy, mother. He ruined my journal and _you were right about him and those Fentons are terrible he ruined my journal with mud and so I ruined whatever was in his backpack and it made him hurt too and my __**journal**__, mama."_

She rubbed circles on his back, "Hush, hush, mon petite. It's alright. I told you not to trust those Fentons. If I'm being honest, I'm surprised how well that journal stayed together, for how often you used it and how long you had it."

He looked up at her tearfully, green eyes meeting green. Her heart nearly broke at the sadness she saw, along with that tiny bit of hope. "What do I do, now?"

She stood, watching as he followed her lead. "Well, you brush yourself off, and after dinner, we can go out and get a new notebook. Maybe you can turn this into one of your story ideas."

He gasped softly, wiping at his eyes, "You're right! This would make for a wonderful beginning of a revenge story! Oh, but I don't know his character well enough…" His mind buzzing with ideas, and plans, and schemes, his mother smiled at seeing the creative spark back in her son's eye. He just didn't look right without it.

She chuckled, "Yes, you can write whatever you want in your new journal, but we'll only get one after dinner, yes?"

He nodded absently, already a world away. "Yes, of course, mother."

Jazz knocked on the door, trying to get her brother to come out. "Danny, Mom's serving dinner. It's lasagna. Your favorite."

"'M not hungry…"

She sighed and came in, closing the door behind her. No reason for their parents to overhear. "Alright, that's it. You're going to tell me what happened right now."

He sighed, sitting up, head facing the ground. "I was a real dick. That new kid, Andrew, I ruined something important of his. So I guess he wanted revenge… He… He throw my backpack in the mud."

She rolled her eyes. Sometimes her brother was way too overdramatic. "Oh, Danny, that's not that ba-"

"My backpack had the goggles in it." He looked up at her with watery eyes.

She froze. She knew how hard he had worked on those, for two years. Seeing them charred on the desk, she gasped, "Oh, Danny, I'm so sorry."

He nodded, "Yeah, so am I." He groaned, putting his hands on his head. "Stupid! Sam told me not to go sliding down the banister, and what did I do? I went sliding down the banister! I ruined everything."

She picked up the goggles, examining them. "Well, maybe not everything… You still have the designs, and the computer programs, right?"

He gave her a suspicious look, "Yeah, why?"

She sighed, as though the answer were obvious. "Well, if you still have those, you can remake the goggles! After all, wasn't the hard part design and tech?"

He smiled, "You're right! I can remake them, and this time they'll be better! I can make them waterproof! And maybe put some ectoranium in them to make them ghost proof!" He hugged his sister tightly, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

She giggled at his excitement. She was glad to have her little brother back. "You're welcome, little brother. How about that lasagna?"

He nodded, "Oh, definitely! I'm starving!"

"I thought you said you weren't hungry," she said skeptically, raising an eyebrow at him.

He shrugged as though brushing it off, "It wasn't really me. It was a robot made to look like me."

Danny grinned into his laptop camera. "Alright, guys, so I got a plan."

Sam sighed, hanging her head, "Danny, your plans always end up terrible somehow. What could possibly be your plan this time?"

He grinned, a glint in his eyes that had them both worried. The last time he looked like that, he was suspended for three days. And that was him being let off easy "Well, obviously since the new kid is evil, I have to find out what his plans are! How do I do that? I get close to him."

Tucker sighed, already seeing where this was going. "Dude, no-"

"I get close to him, and make him think I'm his friend. Then, when he tells me his secret plan, boom! I foil it! It's brilliant, brilliant, brilliant, I tell you! Genius, I say!" He gave out a maniacal laugh, both at the words, and his friends' reactions.

They were silent for a moment. "...You do realize you went a little Yzma there at the end, right?"

He nodded, shrugging, "Yeah, I know."

"One problem, dude. The guy's gotta hate you. So how are you gonna be best buddies with him."

Danny bit his lip. Perhaps there _was_ a minor flaw in his plan. "Details. I'll figure it out eventually. I gotta go, before my parents come whine at me to go to sleep. I'll see you guys at school tomorrow. Bye!" He closed his laptop, and set it on his desk. Yeah, it would be great. And he'd get him back for ruining the goggles. Although, he did kinda help give Danny ideas. But whatever! He was still going down!

* * *

** Gotta go bye love you don't forget to review.**


	6. Just To Let You Know

_**AN: Heeeey, y'all! Having a nice friday? Well, I'm typing up this AN before school, so, you know, gotta hurry, a bit. I'm glad you guys are liking the story enough to stick around! These poor boys, huh? Things don't look too good for them. Well. Don't count them out just yet. They know how to bounce back. And you know, this is all...**_

* * *

_**Just To Let You Know**_

Danny stuck his tongue out unintentionally while running to the English classroom, as he was determined to get to class early. He was fifteen minutes early to school. There was no way that Andrew would be there before him. He could get his seat back, Andrew would sit in the back with Dash, and Kwan, and the other jocks, and order would be restored.

He stepped into the classroom, and gaped. There he was, sitting in the same seat as yesterday, reading some book, and looking oh so comfortable, like he _knew_ he had stolen that seat. But how had he gotten there already?! Not even the nerds like Mikey and Nathan got here this early! He sat down next to him, thumping into his chair and practically throwing his stuff under his desk. Andrew raised an eyebrow, but apparently didn't think he was worthy of a glance. Probably went out and bought a new book yesterday. Not like Danny did much damage! It was only, like, 10 bucks down the drain! He hissed at him, "How long have you been here?!"

He looked up at the clock, then back down to his book, flipping a page as he readjusted. "Hm, about fifteen minutes." Danny couldn't believe it. Why would he come here that early?! He voiced said question aloud, to which the older answered, "It's quiet, and I get more reading done here than I do at home."

He scoffed. Riter was a nerd, probably straight A's, a quiet kid. His home life was probably perfect. If anyone, it should be Danny going to school half an hour early, if only to try to finish last minute homework. He put his head on his hand, and rummaged through his backpack. Oh well. If he had to be here, may as well work on math.

Andrew, meanwhile, glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. Hm, so he was working on math, was he? At least he was using his time wisely, instead of playing with technological trinkets as he probably normally would. That was probably what had been damaged, yesterday. A silly little bauble, like he had seen Fenton's friend messing with. Well, good. That meant it wasn't worth much. He took a closer look at the work, and held back a smirk. Ah, well, he supposed he should at least help him along. After all, it wouldn't do him any good to have to work with someone who didn't know basic algebra. "You're using the wrong equation."

Danny blinked, looking back at Andrew, who was still reading his book. He hadn't even moved an inch! How could he know the equation Danny was using? "Huh," he said, oh so eloquently.

Andrew sighed, and marked his page, turning in his chair towards him, and pointing at his paper. The problem he was on was kinda tough, having to move things on a graph using equations. "I said you're using the wrong equation. The one you're using would translate it two units up and three to the right, but you want to translate it two units down and three to the left."

Danny stared at the problem, getting a sudden expression as though a cartoon lightbulb just went off over his head. With a free hand, he scratched the back of his head,"Oh, yeah. Forgot this was geometry. Heh. I tend to get this and Pre-Cal mixed up."

It was Andrew's turn to stare at the boy in front of him. That was rather unexpected. "I'm sorry, what? Are you taking Geometry or Pre-Calculus?"

Danny shrugged, as though it were nothing, "Both." He suddenly narrowed his eyes, looking up at him, "Why?" After all, Andrew was his enemy. Who knew what he would do with any of the information he got from him.

He shook his head, slowly going back to his book. "Nothing, nothing." Hm… maybe Danny Fenton was a bigger threat than he had imagined. Either way, he was going to be sure to be careful around the teen.

At one point, people slowly came filing into the class. Valerie being one of them, she wore a confused expression as she came over to Danny, who was sitting in the seat she normally sat in. She stopped, slightly bending over, "Uh, Danny?"

He distractedly waved her away as he did his best to fill in the information for the last problem. Rolling her eyes, she sighed and went to sit in the back. Finally, at exactly 8 am sharp, Lancer walked in the door. He organized his papers, and stood at his desk. "Now, I suppose you all think I'm going to give you time in class to work on your partner projects, don't you?"

Most of the class grinned, nodding at their partner, "Yeah!"

"Well, tough Tolkiens!" They all went wide-eyed, somewhat shrinking back in their seats. First, he would get their hopes up, just to tell them that?! "In college, and even some upper level classes, the teachers will expect to give you a project, and for you to have it done on the due date without any class time to work on it. I was being lenient yesterday, giving you time to regroup with your partners. So, on to Macbeth."

Danny and Andrew scoffed. The class should have expected that. They supposed it was a good thing they had free period together. They glanced at each other, both hoping the other would pull their weight. Danny figured he probably didn't have much to worry about. Andrew, on the other hand… he was less optimistic.

* * *

Later, during computer design, he told Tucker of his new plan with the goggles. After having it all explained to him, Tucker grinned, giving him a high five. "Well, I'm glad you didn't let yesterday get you too down, but are you sure this is gonna work? I mean, we would basically have to melt the ectoranium into the metal. We might have to make the metal ourselves!"

Danny grinned at his friend, "Well, then, it's a good thing you have metal shop."

Tucker sighed, moving on to coding his website. They both knew that even if he argued, he'd end up doing it either way. "Yeah, yeah, I get it. Are you at least gonna find a way to make it waterproof?"

He nodded, turning to his own computer. "Oh, yeah, definitely. It shouldn't be that hard, I'll just find a coating I can spray on it, and maybe use something more deflective than glass or plastic for the lenses."

The two grinned at the ideas, and to each other. "Man, if this doesn't rock the socks off your parents, nothing will."

"Yeah… I just gotta make sure it's good."

Tucker clapped him on the back, "You got this, bro."

Danny gave a small smile, putting his headphones on. "Thanks, Tuck.

* * *

_**Eh? Ehhh? I know not much happened in this chapter, but I will try to upload a new one on Monday! I'll do my very best! Pinkie Promise! Alright, I gotta go. Love you lots! Kasena, out!**_


	7. Spoilers

_**AN: Heeey, everyone! Everything going good for y'all? Having a good weekend? That's great! Well. I know I promised to update on Monday... but I figured you wouldn't mind me breaking that promise too much, would you? I bet you're dying to know my future plans. But then, telling would be...**_

* * *

_**Spoilers**_

As Danny walked into the library, he took a quick glance at the signs above each shelf, searching for the classics. He groaned at seeing that where the Shakespeare books, there wasn't a single one for Hamlet or Macbeth to be seen. And Lancer was too stubborn and cheap to get a class set, leaving him to asking people he knew. He grumbled, and walked over to his table, only to find his seat to be once again taken by what seemed to be his new arch nemesis.

Glaring, he sat in the seat across from Andrew, who seemed to have only just gotten there himself. Never really having a knack for subtlety, he blurted out, "Why do you sit there?"

Andrew looked up at him with surprise, seeming to have not even noticed his arrival. "Hm? Oh, here? Well, because it's the best seat in the library." He set his book down with a smirk, gesturing as he spoke, "It's near the windows, so there's actual sunlight, you can see most all the sections and bookcases, and yet it's hidden by that rather horrid librarian. Not only that, it's one of the few seats that doesn't wobble." His smirk grew at seeing that Danny was purposefully making his seat move.

Were it anyone else, Danny would have told him 'Great minds think alike.' Being that it was Andrew Riter, however, he rose an eyebrow. "Sunlight? I thought that some shut in dork like you would hate that." A bit harsh, sure, but Riter should be able to take whatever he dished out.

"Yes, well, things aren't always what they appear to be." Watching as Danny made himself comfortable, he questioned, "With all the empty tables, why sit here?"

He shrugged, leaning his head back and looking at the ceiling, pointing to where the writer was sitting. "Because that's my seat. Same thing in English."

Andrew rolled his eyes. Honestly, this boy was rather possessive. Were he someone else, he would have questioned if he were a ghost. "Well, I am oh so sorry, your highness, but I was here first. So, I guess you'll have to deal with it. Why don't you get to work on something?"

He almost argued back, but thought better of it. He had a limited amount of time, especially if he wanted to finish his chemistry homework before class.

Nearly an hour later, he sighed, shaking his hand out. It took a while, but he had finally written a page about isotopes. He looked up with a grin to look at Andrew, only to see that the bespectacled one had already left. Confused, Danny looked up at one of the nearby clocks, seeing it was a minute until the bell for lunch. No wonder he had already left. Shoving everything into his backpack, he jumped up and ran out, followed by the predictable shout from the librarian of "No running!"

Finally out in the hall, he slowed his pace a bit as he neared the cafeteria. He punched in his number and got his lunch, sitting with his friends at their normal table, designated by most populars as the losers' table. "Hey, guys. Anything interesting happen?"

Sam scoffed, waving her fork as she ranted. "Yeah, Lancer was a dick. Making us read two Shakespeare books on top of everything else we have to do?"

Danny nodded, shoving his food into his mouth. "Yeah, I know. By the way, that reminds me-" He was interrupted by someone sitting themselves down on his left. He looked over with a glare, "Riter. What are you doing here?"

Andrew huffed, gesturing around the room, "Well, Fenton, in case you didn't notice, every other table is full." Without another word, he began eating his food and writing in a notebook.

Danny pouted before turning back to his two friends, "As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted," He glared again at Andrew, who only ignored him, "Do either of you guys have an extra copy of the books for English?"

Tucker shrugged helplessly, "I need to have my mom buy them after school."

Sam nodded in agreement, "Sorry, Danny." She glanced at Andrew, and Danny shook his head. He knew what she was saying, and the answer was no way. He wasn't gonna ask _him_ for help. An uncomfortable silence settling over the table, Sam cleared her throat before turning to Andrew casually, "So, hey, how have you been enjoying Casper High so far?"

He shrugged nonchalantly. "It's been somewhat decent, but it could've gone better, seeing as at the end of my first day, some foolish idiot decided it would be a good day to ruin all my work," he said with a glare to Danny.

Danny groaned exasperatedly, turning to him as he slammed his fork down. "It was an accident! When are you going to get over that, Riter?!" Not a moment later, he yelped, clutching his leg close.

Andrew smirked, having given Danny, what he thought to be, a much needed kick in the shin. "I'm sure it was an accident. Just like that was."

Danny pushed his food away, throwing his backpack on over his shoulder. "Fine! You know what?! Who cares?! Go ahead and sit with _my_ friends! I'll leave you two to deal with the Dork of Disaster!"

He stormed out the south exit of the cafeteria, limping somewhat as he did so. Andrew glared at his retreating back. "Well, I can see when I'm not welcome." Tucker thought he saw the kid's eyes turn blue for a second. Turning around, he say the blue sky shining brightly, and wow, that could make anyone's eyes look blue, especially if they had glasses. Turning back around, he rubbed his eyes. That was way too bright. "Hmph. I wish I could say it was a pleasure, but really, it wasn't." He stomped out the east exit of the lunch room, fists clenched tightly at his sides.

The now-duo watched as Dash and Kwan glanced at each other with a grin, and stalked off after Andrew. Tucker watched with concern, and looked at Sam, who only went back to eating her salad. "Shouldn't we, y'know, do something?"

She shrugged, "They got themselves into this mess. Far as I care, they can take care of it."

Danny grumbled as his pace slowed. Thinking back on it, he sighed. He was being an insensitive clueless jerk. Again. And why had Andrew said all his work? It was just a book, how was it work? He made a mental note to ask him at one point, though at this rate he wouldn't be able to. When he and Andrew were in the same room, it was like the tension was so thick you could cut it with a rusty spoon. And it made sense why that was. Well, one of them was going to have to man up and apologize. Danny nodded maturely. Yep. He would make the adult decision here and wait for Andrew to apologize, first.

From down the hall, he heard big thumping footsteps, but besides that, also heavy breathing, accompanied by lighter, but still heavy, steps. "Hey!" He sighed, recognizing Dash's shout anywhere. It was the one he always gave when he was trying to get Danny so that he could let out some pent up rage. He slowly turned around, surprised to not see Dash there at all. He slowly looked down the other hall, the one he stood in adjoined to.

Andrew came to a stop in front of the wall, and his eyes darted for an escape. Why was this school so confusing?! And from what he had memorized of the school map, this hallway was a dead end. He turned, watching as the two bulky athletes strutted towards him, seeing as he had stopped running. "Hey, nerd!" Andrew flinched, as Dash came within a foot of him. "I don't think we've met, yet. Here, let me introduce you to my fist!"

His mind sped up and he desperately tried to think his way out of this situation. He couldn't do much as a way of defense, otherwise he'd incriminate himself. So, that left only a witty retort. "Only if you'll introduce me to the woman who decides your wardrobe in place of you each morning!"

Dash paused, a confused look on his face as he looked down at himself. "Wait… why do you wanna meet my mom?"

Andrew put a hand over his mouth to keep his chuckles in. He really hadn't expected that to work. Danny rolled his eyes as he snickered. Seemed like he'd have to go save the day, again. _Hero Danny, to the rescue._ He walked out into the hall, surprising all parties. "Dash, c'mon, he just got here, leave him alone."

The jock glared at the new arrival, "What if I don't wanna?"

Kwan chimed in, pounding his fist against his hand. "Yeah! Like you said, he just got here. We should break him in! Uh, emphasis on the breaking, if you didn't get that."

Dash turned to his football friend with a roll of the eyes, "Kwan, they got it."

"Roger!" He saluted.

"I've told you a million times, my name is Dash!"

Kwan turned towards him, hands out as he tried to explain, "No, no, it's a saying!"

"And _I'm_ saying…" Danny grabbed onto Andrew's sleeve and tugged him to the other hall. Andrew, meanwhile, dragged his hand down his face. Of course there was an easy exit all along. Of course, he didn't see it. Stupid stupid stupid.

He panted slightly as they finally paused, Danny determining they were far enough away. "I suppose I must… thank you. That was a rather unpleasant situation."

Danny sneered, as he was about to make a nasty remark, until he paused. Oh right, the plan, the plan for Andrew, the plan chosen especially to get close to Andrew, Andrew's plan. He nodded, "Yeah, it was no problem. I figured you could use some help."

Andrew looked at him suspiciously. What an interesting character this boy was. He took out his journal, jotting a note down about the character traits of the boy meant to parallel the one who had destroyed his past. "Hey, what are you writing?" Danny tried to pick words out over his shoulder, though his height hindered that.

He rose an eyebrow, "Hm? Oh, nothing really of interest. Just some notes about the school itself."

"Riiight, well, I gotta go to my next class. See ya."

Andrew watched as the ghost hunter left. This would be a very interesting story, indeed. One that he felt would have a 'surprise twist' at the end. Ah, well, he'd figure out how to write out his thoughts, later. The story, after all, was just starting from the beginning.

Danny sighed as he walked into Pre-Cal, thanking whatever higher power there was for once that Jazz was this class's TA. As he sat in his seat, he waved her over, and she nodded, walking over to him. The redhead leaned over so they were eye level with each other. He smiled up at her lopsidedly, "Hey, Jazz, you know you're my favorite sister, right?"

She sighed, not ready to put up with this. It was just a couple weeks since school started, and he was already asking for favors. "What do you want this time, little brother?"

He gave her a level six cute face. "Well, since you're the bestest sister in the whole wide world, I'm sure you wouldn't mind lending your favorite brother your copies of Hamlet and Macbeth for just a couple weeks, right?"

Jazz put a hand to her mouth to keep from either laughing or cooing. It was hard to tell which, after living with Danny for so long. "I would, really, I would, but I don't have either of those. I have Othello and Romeo and Juliet, though! If that helps!"

He pouted, slumping over on his desk. "You're cruel, Jazzy. So very cruel."

"I would retort to that, but it's time for class to start. Get out your notebook, you lazy bum."

The boy grinned, putting on a thick heavy voice, "Gosh, Jazz, you can't tell me what to do, you're not the boss of me, get out of here."

She rolled her eyes, heading to the front to take attendance. "Whatever, Ghost Face Guy, whatever."

"It's Ghost Facers! And I am way better than them!" The teacher began to quiet the class, and Danny turned to the board with a smile. But that did make him wonder nervously. Where could he find copies of those books?

* * *

_**So, you like? Good! I do, too. Next chapter will probably be Friday? I dunno, depends on my mood. Well, I'll see you then! Remember! Reviews make me smile! Kasena, out!**_


	8. Thank You

_**AN: Hey, how is everyone? Summer's almost here! It's gonna be fun! There may be more chapters, too! And to everyone putting up with the story, and the update times, I just wanna say...**_

* * *

_**Thank You**_

After class, Jazz caught Danny before he left. "Hey, Danny, are you gonna walk with Sam and Tucker today, or do you want a ride home?"

He considered her question. Most days, he would walk home with Sam and Tucker, but there were some he just wasn't feeling up to it, and would practically beg her for a ride. He could ask for a ride to the public library, see if they had any copies left, if they had lifted the ban, yet. He looked out the door of the class as he shoved his notebook into his backpack. Wait, of course! Why didn't he think of it before! He could just ask Andrew to lend him the copies- Oh, wait… The guy would probably never trust him with a book ever, and he didn't have any other classes with him… That just meant he would have to try after school. But just one problem, he didn't know where the guy lived. But, he knew someone who might.

He stood, and gave his sister a quick hug before leaving. "I'm gonna walk, thanks, Jazz! See ya at home!"

"Bye, Danny! Don't forget to drink lots of water! You'll get dehydrated!"

He sighed, nearly crashing into Star. She gave him a look of disdain, and sniffed, turning her nose up at him. He shook his head, and walked to his History class. He still didn't get why it was so important. You look at something that may or may not have happened, and never think about it again. Nothing to make such a big fuss over. Though it was good that he had his two best friends in this class.

Tucker took his bag off the seat next to him. "So, man, she gonna get you the books?"

Danny shook his head with a sigh. "No, she doesn't even have them. What kind of book nerd doesn't have those stupid old timey books?"

Sam shook her head, "That kinda sucks, but, I mean, there's always the public library!"

"No, me and my parents are banned. Jazz is only allowed back because they liked her before they knew who she was related to. I swear, she's probably gonna have that as a side job with her stupid brain science."

Tucker rose an eyebrow, "Dude. Why are you dissin' on your sister so much?"

He shrugged, "I don't know. I think it's cause I need these books and can't find them anywhere. Even if I got Jazz to go to the library, they'd probably all be out! And I do have one more option, but… I really don't wanna."

"Whatever it is can't be that bad."

"Yeah, I mean, what could possibly go wrong? By the way, Tucker, you never happened to hear around the grapevine where Riter moved into, did you?"

Tucker nodded, giving him a suspicious look. "Yeah, that old empty house on Dash's block. Why?"

Sam narrowed her eyes at the youngest of her two friends, "Danny, what are you planning?"

He put a hand to his chest in mock offense, "Me? Planning something? Why, Sammy! Honestly, that is blasphemy! Why on earth would you ever think poor innocent little ole' me would plan something?"

She shrugged, putting a finger to her chin as she pretended to think about it. "Huh, I dunno, maybe because you're an evil demon who nobody should ever trust?"

He shook his head, "Rude, Sammy. Rude."

As the bell rang for class, Mr. Roberts called out. "Now, now, children, settle down. Now that everyone is properly settled into the swing of things, I think we can officially start our unit on Ancient Greece."

A collective groan came from the students, while Mr. Roberts sighed, "Really, it's not that bad. I mean, their mythology is quite interesting! Where do you think Medusa came from?"

Paulina scoffed, fixing her lipstick in her baby blue compact. "Obviously, from somewhere hideous, judging by her looks. I mean, snake hair? I'm as beautiful as a goddess!"

While most kids snickered, Danny let out another grown, putting his head down against his desk. This was going to be a long day.

* * *

Danny sighed, as he turned. "I'll see you guys tomorrow, if I live."

"Danny, are you doing what I think you're doing?"

He gave a small smile, "Thinking's a dangerous pastime, Sammy! Later!" He turned to cross the street, towards the street his now two seemingly-greatest enemies lived. This was going to be a hassle. Thankfully, the house would be easy to find, it being at the end of the block, and all. Everyone knew where that empty old house was. It was Fenton family tradition to every Easter visit the house and make sure it was clear of ghosts. He had been doing it for as long as he could remember. His dad was always convinced some ghost had taken up residence in the old place, and he was always wrong.

But when he turned to where he knew the house was, he had to blink a few times, and make sure he had the right place. Instead of dusty and worn to all hell, it looked… good. Like someone brought in a whole contracting team and rebuilt it, basically. It was a bright yellow, with a black roof, and white curtains hanging in the windows. A small garden of tulips was under the windows in the front of the house. He followed the pathway up to the house, and stood on the front step. He inhaled deeply, trying to work up his nerve. Before he could lose it, he rose his fist to the door and tapped on it three times.

Danny heard a bit of stumbling around, and he rocked back and forth on his feet, until finally a woman with a tired smile, and well-cared-for blonde hair answered the door. "Hm, yes? Is there something I can do for you?"

He nodded, putting his hands in his pockets. "Yeah, I, uh, is this Andrew's house? I'm Danny, I kinda need to talk to him."

She seemed to watch him carefully, a guarded look in her eyes. She nodded, and stepped away to call for Andrew. He came to the door, and immediately glared. "Fenton. Why is it you decided to come to my house?"

He sighed, clasping his hands, and putting on his level five out of ten cute face. He would need it. "Okay, so I know I was kinda a dick about your book and you were kinda a jerk even though it was an accident but that doesn't matter! The thing is I shoulda apologized and I am now so I really am sorry about what happened to your book and also I was hoping you had a copy of Hamlet and maybe also Macbeth I could borrow so that I didn't fail my classes?"

Andrew raised an eyebrow. He did make some good points. And if the kid was actively trying to not fail, who was he to stop him? He nodded, moving from the door to allow him to come in. "Alright, Fenton. But you touch anything, and I will mercilessly rip your hands off." Danny nodded with a grin, causing Andrew to roll his eyes. Honestly, what was he getting in to? "We'll be upstairs, mother."

Sylvia's eyes widened. Her son was going to let some boy borrow his books? That was rather… unexpected. And didn't he say his name was Fenton? Hmm… she'd have to keep an eye on them.

Danny was led upstairs to a small room, with a desk near the door, and a bed near the window. In fact, it was directly under the window. "Wow, I, uh… was actually expecting a lot more books."

He shrugged, "They're in the library down the hall."

Danny went slack-jawed. "You have a library… in your house…"

Andrew nodded, "It's a bit small, it's a personal library. It's the combined collections of my family. And it's also Vidya's favorite room in the house."

Danny looked at him strangely, "Woah, wait, Vidya?" As he spoke the name, a grey cat with wide purple eyes that seemed to shine with wisdom jumped up to him, immediately crawling under his hand and arching her back into it.

He smiled and began scratching her back, to which she purred with glee. Andrew gave her a puzzled look. "Strange, she normally doesn't warm up to people so much. Much less someone she just met."

Danny shrugged, scratching her ears, "She likes me."

Andrew rolled his eyes, "Yes. Well, here are the books."

Danny walked to where he was pointing. On his desk were two books, one a dark blue, another a fiery red. They both looked incredibly worn, as though they had been read a thousand times over. He gently picked them up and gave Andrew a small grin. The guy may be evil, but he was still cool. "Thanks. I'll see ya-" He turned to leave, stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

Andrew rose an eyebrow, "Where do you think you're going?"

Danny's eyes widened, "Uh, home?"

"Not with my books, you aren't. I said you could use them, I never said you could borrow them. The books stay here."

Danny gaped, "But then how I am supposed to use them?"

Andrew shrugged, "Obviously, you do your work here. Unless, of course, you would rather not do your work? I am willing to let you use the books, because I know it's important for people to have the chance to learn. But, I only help them when they make the effort. If they don't make the effort, they obviously don't care enough. Are you one of those people?"

Danny squinted at him, "How old are you?"

"An extensive vocabulary does not equal age." He crossed his arms. "So? Your answer?"

Danny sighed, "Well, I didn't bring my notebook."

He shrugged, "That's fine. You can read now, and take notes later."

He shook his head, "I would, but I gotta go home. See, I kinda expected this to be a quick pick up, so I didn't really tell my parents I'd be here, so…" He pointed his thumb in the direction of the door.

"I see. Well, please, let me show you the door," he said, walking out of the room.

Danny glared at the ground, following after Andrew. "You know, you'd probably have people like you faster if you stopped being such a dick."

The elder paused, Danny bumping into his back. "You are very blunt, aren't you?"

He bit his lip, "Is that a bad thing?"

The last thing he expected was a chuckle. In fact, he half thought he was going crazy, but no. When he turned, Danny could see a bit of a smirk on his face. "No, I suppose not." They stopped in front of the front door, Sylvia watching from the doorway of the kitchen. "Am I correct in assuming we'll be seeing you tomorrow?"

He shrugged, pushing his backpack further on his shoulder. "I mean, yeah, I guess so. Not like I have a choice." He turned to the door, and gave a short wave. "See ya tomorrow, Andrew."

Andrew gave a nod as he closed the door behind him. He turned, to see his mother standing behind him. "So, that is the Fenton boy?"

"Yes, mother, that is him."

"I thought you and he were enemies."

Andrew shrugged. "I need to know him better if I am to write a character based off him, no?"

She smiled as she nodded. "Yes, well, why don't you go work on your writing? I'm going to go to the store." _And going to think on the new developments I see happening._

He absently waved behind him, "Yes, yes, goodbye, mother."

Once Danny got home, he clambered in without much fanfare. His parents were downstairs, again, and Jazz was upstairs reading. That is, until she practically flew down the stairs and threw her arms around him. "You're late! I thought you were walking home with Sam and Tucker! Did something happen? Are you alright? Who do I need to kill?"

He rolled his eyes at her. "Please. As if you could kill someone. I just stopped by that Andrew kid's house for a quick second. I needed to borrow his copies of the Shakespeare stuff."

She narrowed her eyes, looking at his empty hands. "Then where are they?"

He rubbed the back of his neck, "He, uh… kinda doesn't trust me, so the books are still at his place. I'm going back tomorrow so I can use them."

She sighed, ruffling his hair. "Alright, I guess. I don't trust him, but… I do trust you, baby brother."

He whined at her, "Jazz, I'm not a baby!"

She hummed, going back upstairs, "Whatever you say!"

He rolled his eyes, and went upstairs behind her. Once in his room, he plunked himself down at his desk and took out his pencil. Eraser shavings covered the desk as he started editing and redesigning his blueprint. After all, he had to start somewhere.

* * *

**_So, they have reason to not hate each other, now! Danny just has to take care of those books... Let's hope he does, huh? Remember, reviews make me smile! Kasena, out!_**


	9. Restless

_**AN: Hey, guys! Sorry this one is going up a little late. School, and friend stuff, and yeah. But I'm back! And with a new chapter! They are slowly getting longer, on average, guys. Don't worry too much. I wouldn't want to make you...**_

* * *

_** Restless**_

Dark circles under his eyelids, Danny yawned as he wandered the Amity Park streets. He really should stop working on those goggles at all hours of the morning. But hey, it was only two a.m. Much better than last time, when he was up till four. Still, it was entirely possible he was beyond the point of exhaustion, but who was keeping track? In fact, he ignored his ghost alarm when it went off. He looked up at the night sky, absently picking out the few constellations he could make out against the harsh light of the street lights, and smiled. If there was one thing that would just about guarantee him calming down, it was the night sky. Ever since he was little, the stars had always been his favorite things. And the best time to see them, in a somewhat lit up city like Amity Park, was in the middle of the night, when most people were asleep. That was, until someone with white hair floated above him. He glared, and barked up at the figure. "Hey! I thought I told you to scram!"

The ghost seemed to fall out of the air at the sudden voice below him, which Danny wasn't going to admit he found amusing. Once the ghost composed himself, he cleared his throat. "Oh, it's you. Well, I would, but circumstances make that impossible."

He scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Yeah, right. Only reason I let you go last time was cause you weren't a problem. Now, you're out here flying around! Explain yourself!"

The ghost's eyes widened, "I wasn't doing anything wrong. I couldn't sleep, so I went for a fly! Just like humans going for a drive or a walk." He seemed to give a partial grin, as though trying to charm his way out of the situation.

Danny scowled at the shabby excuse. "Please, you couldn't sleep even if you wanted to." At the confused stare, he rolled his eyes. Great, the guy must be new, if he didn't know. "Ghosts physically can't sleep."

The ghost gave him a careful look, and were those bags? Under a ghost's eyes? "I'm not sure where you're getting your information from, but it's wrong."

"Yeah, sure, whatever you say Mr. Ghost Guy." That reminded Danny of something he should have asked, or demanded, upon their first meeting. "You got a name, ghost?"

The guy seemed to panic, eyes darting around, "It's, uh, Anderson! Michael Anderson!"

Danny gave a small smirk, as though detecting the lie. He might let it slide, just this once. "Alright, _Michael,_" His eyes snapped to the alarm strapped to his belt, seeing a flash of red out of the corner of his eye from Michael's direction. He glared up at Michael, memories of the Spectra fight coming back to him. "You fight ghosts, right?"

He seemed to freeze up a bit, "Uh, well, I-"

A thermos was tossed into his hands, and he fumbled to catch it, hissing and shaking his hand, before putting it in his hood. "Good. Hang on to that. We got one comin' up on us."

A white and green cobra with red eyes crashed into the building in front of them, and hissed. Danny sprung into action, literally. He jumped on top of the nearby dumpster, and scrambled up the fire escape. He looked back to see Michael standing there stiff as a board, his eyes wide with awe as he watched Danny do all this with ease. Danny sighed exasperatedly and called out to him, "Hey, new guy! Instead of checkin' me out, how about fighting the animal ghost!"

Michael seemed to snap out of it, shaking his head and flying higher. "Oh, please! As if you had much that was worth checking out!" He threw a few ectoblasts at the cobra, which only seemed to make it angrier as it snapped at him.

"Wow. Rude. That was just rude. Also, why don't you do something more useful instead of making it more pissed?!" He unhooked his ecto pistol from his hip, taking aim and firing it at the back of the cobra's neck, causing it to shriek in anger and swing it's head towards him. "Shit," he cursed, dodging the flick of it's tail.

Glaring, Michael took the opportunity of the cobra turning its back on him, and fired more ectoblasts at the animal, aiming for near the same area Danny had. "Now, now, surely cursing is below you! Also, it seems to be weak at the base of it's head! I would suggest aiming for there when you have the chance!"

And so they alternated. When it would go for Michael, Danny shot at it, and vice versa. Amongst all this, the banter began fizzling out, until they were fighting with silent efficiency. Finally, the cobra gave a cry, and was having trouble moving from one boy to the other. Danny nodded, shouting over to Michael, "Use the thermos!"

Michael shook his head as though the boy was crazy, "What?!"

Danny sighed, throwing a rock to keep the snake's attention on him. "It's a ghost containment device! Just push the big green button!"

Michael shrugged, and took the thermos from his hood. He grimaced, yet still managed to toss the lid to the ground, Danny sighing that he'd have to pick it up later. Figuring he had nothing to lose, Michael aimed it at the cobra, who was slowly regaining its ground, and clenched his eyes shut, finger flicking the button. He lurched backwards as a stream of blue light came out, and hit the cobra. It cried out, slowly turning the same shade of blue as the light. With a roar of disappointment at it's lost meal, the cobra was sucked into the thermos, and as soon as he was sure there was nothing left of the cobra outside of the thermos, he slammed it shut.

Danny grinned, jumping down from his spot on the fire escape, tucking and rolling to soften the blow. Michael slowly floated to the ground, and handed the thermos to Danny, also picking up the cap for him.. "Not bad. For a ghost," He made sure to add on at the end as he gave a half smile for getting the cap.

"You didn't do too terribly, either. For a human," Michael said, in a sort of mocking tone.

Instead of Danny getting angry, as he had expected, his half smile turned into a full out smirk. "Touche." Receiving a small smile in return, he rubbed the back of his neck. "You're… not all that bad. And if you keep fighting ghosts like this, I may just let you stick around, Mikey."

Michael rolled his eyes, and crossed his arms as he leaned back on his leg. _Just like a regular teenager,_ Danny thought to himself. "Oh, certainly, it would be my honor to stay here and help you fight ghosts. And it's not _Mikey_. It's Michael. If you're going to use my name, at least get it right."

"Yeah. whatever, Mikey." Danny looked up at the moon, Michael following his gaze. Danny frowned at the placement of it in the sky, and swore. "Shit. It's almost 2:45. I need to get home if I want some semblance of sleep." It was strange, explaining his reason for leaving to a ghost. But… he felt he could trust this ghost, for some reason. After all, he didn't have much else to lose, at this point. Just his life.

Michael nodded, gaze falling from the moon, to Danny. "Yes, I can certainly agree with that statement." He turned, throwing Danny a smirk over his shoulder. "Until next we meet, Danny."

Danny gave a single, small wave, and started on his walk home. It was only as he was climbing the gutter spout and into his room to collapse on his bed did he realize something. He had never told Michael his first name.

* * *

_**So, kinda weird, right? How is it that this so called Michael knows Danny? I know, I know, I need to work on subtlety. I wrote this scene like half a year ago. Gimme a break. Well, I gotta go. But I hope you guys liked! Remember, reviews make me smile! Kasena, out!**_


	10. Distractions

_**AN: I am so so so sorry this is late! Yesterday got away from me, I guess. Well, don't worry, here's another long chapter to tide you over, hopefully! Again, apologies! Maybe while you read this, you should watch out for...**_

* * *

_**Distractions**_

He wisely didn't tell anyone in his family of his encounter with Michael. If he did, they would think he was crazy for letting him get away. Or a traitor. That, and he had a new puzzle before him. He needed to figure out how it was that Michael had known his name without being told. He sighed, and walked into English, rubbing at his eyes. He nearly crashed into the wall next to the door, but when his vision cleared, he grinned. Andrew wasn't there yet!

Although it did make him worry, a bit. Andrew was always there early. _Did something happened?_ He shook his head. No, the dork just probably got caught up in whatever book he was reading. He settled into his normal seat, and pulled out his homework. About five minutes later, Andrew stumbled into the classroom, and jeez, he looked terrible! It was like he stayed up all night then got ran over by a car! Danny should know. Who knew how many times that had almost happened to him.

Eyes not open enough to see where he was going, Andrew bumped into one of the desks, and fell on the ground. He groaned, and Danny began to worry when he didn't get up. He got out of his seat, and crouched next to Andrew. "Hey, man, you alright?" He muttered in a foreign language. It sounded like French, but there was another language mixed in. He couldn't tell what it was. Jeez, how many languages did the guy know?

Sighing, Danny grabbed Andrew's arm, and put it over his neck. He slowly stood, hindered by the size of the nerd he was now dragging to the nurses office and how much did this guy weigh?! He felt like the wind could blow him away! Andrew shook his head, though made no other attempt to move. He muttered, "Whaarudoin?"

Danny huffed, shifting so that his center of gravity was more in line. "I'm taking you to the nurse. No way are you going to class while you're this sleep deprived."

He tried to move away, but only succeeded in making his arm twitch. "'M fine…"

"No, you are not fine, now shut up and let me help you, you idiot."

Once they did finally get to the nurse, Danny thought he saw Andrew smirk as he was placed on the bed. "You aren't that bad. For a Fenton." Rolling his eyes, Danny left to go to class, wishing he could sleep, too. Though when he got back, the room felt oddly empty without Andrew there.

Lancer began roll, and when he got to Andrew's name, he paused at the silence. "Danny, you wouldn't have happened to see Andrew, this morning, have you? He is your partner, after all."

Danny nodded slowly, "Yeah, I, uh, he's at the nurse. I don't think he's going to be coming to class."

Lancer stared at him, before marking it off on the sheet. "Well, that is odd. I didn't take him for the type to…" He shook his head, moving on.

He nodded again, looking back down at his notebook. He didn't either. It was like Andrew had stayed up even later than Danny had, which was pretty late. Probably holed up in his bedroom reading. Danny took another glance at the door, and sighed. He just hoped he was alright, and that he had made the right move, making him get sleep.

It seemed he had, when he came to lunch looking perfectly fine and sat down at their table. He gave a soft smile to Danny. "You know, I really must thank you for earlier. Apparently, I didn't get enough sleep last night."

Danny scoffed at his sarcasm, "You're telling me? I was the one that dragged you to the nurse so you could catch up on your sleep."

Andrew rolled his eyes, "You do realize you have a hero-complex, right? You're concerned about me, Clock knows why, and yet you have dark purple circles under your eyes as though you went up against that Dash fellow, and lost. Twice."

He waved him off, "I'm fine, I'm fine, Sam, Tuck, tell him I'm fine." He smiled, knowing his friends would totally back him up.

The two glanced at each other with a grin, and started blurting things out, much to Danny's chagrin.

"He never sleeps before two in the morning."

"He always drops whatever he's doing to go fight a ghost, even if he's sleeping."

"His grades are low and he needs a tutor."

"He doesn't tell his friends what he should."

Andrew rose a hand, and they went silent with mischievous smirks. Danny glared at them. They were dirty, rotten, no good traitors, who liked to lie a lot, and he was so totally maybe not their friend anymore. Andrew smirked, "Well, I'm not sure about the other things, but I can certainly help with tutoring. After all, I am already going to be helping you with English."

He shoved his spork into his food and bit on the end of it. "I don't need help with English or any other subjects." Seeing the teen's hand, he furrowed his brow, grabbing it and examining it. "What happened? It looks like a mild burn."

Andrew quickly pulled his hand back, holding it. "One, I burned myself while making breakfast. And two," he sighed, shaking his head, "Trust me, you do need help in English. Nobody understands Shakespeare without help. Hell, the first time I read it, I had to ask the meaning of some phrases and soliloquies!" He put a hand to his forehead. "My point is, perhaps this could be the chance for us to completely start over, with a fresh slate. After all, I wasn't very kind, either."

Danny waved his hands defensively, "Woah, no, dude, I was the dick. I mean, your books are super important to you."

The elder smiled at him, "The blame lies in both parties, so how about we agree to forgive and forget, yes?"

Danny nodded. "Yeah, that… that sounds like a good idea."

Sam rose an eyebrow, "So, when did you two get so friendly?"

"Sometime between when he let me bor- use his books, and when I dragged him to the nurse."

"It does seem to have been rather eventful in between that time period," Andrew hummed.

Tucker took a large bite of his hamburger, "Wha di ou o oo de durs?" Andrew deadpanned until Tucker swallowed his food, and tried again. "Why did you go to the nurse?"

The teen nodded. "Ah, now that I understand. It was just a minor case of sleep deprivation, nothing to get worked up about." Seeing the look Danny was giving him, he turned, "What?"

"Just a minor case? Dude, you were almost passed out on the ground, and you were speaking some language I don't know."

It seemed that Andrew tensed up, but his voice was extremely casual. "Oh, was I? Perhaps I was possessed by a demon. Many strange things seem to happen in this town."

Sam grinned, "Speaking of, how are you liking Amity Park?"

He shrugged, "I suppose it could be worse. The ghostly visitors do seem to make life a little harder, but it's nothing I can't handle."

Sam's eyes widened, "Dude. We are keeping this one. Like, just, we have got to keep him. Okay, I am definitely taking you to the Skulk and Lurk after school."

Danny interrupted with a glare, "No, you're not! I need him, after school, if I want to catch up in English!"

Andrew gave her a smile, "My apologies, but we already had prior arrangements. Perhaps another time?"

She nodded, "Oh, yeah, dude, definitely! We all have to hang out, and show you the awesome things in town." She brought her backpack out from under the table, tore a scrap of paper from one of her notebooks, and began writing furiously on it. "Here's my number, call me when you aren't tutoring Mr. I Don't Need Anyone. And here's Danny and Tuck's numbers, for when all four of us are gonna hang out. I also put down our Skypes since, to be honest, we're all internet nerds and more likely to answer our computers than our phones."

He took the paper from her with a smile, and slipped it into his coat pocket. "Not sure when I'll need these, but I'll thank you anyway."

Tucker grinned, "You know, you're a lot cooler than Danny said you were."

He smirked with a sideways glance to Danny, "Oh, am I, now? And tell me, what, exactly, has he been saying about me?"

Tucker took out his PDA, and started clicking away, while Danny protested, "You've saved our conversations?!"

The techno-geek wisely didn't acknowledge that, instead played an audio sound clip.

"_Well, obviously since the new kid is evil, I have to find out what his plans are! How do I do that? I get close to him."_

"_Dude, no-"_

"_I get close to him, and make him think I'm his friend. Then, when he tells me his secret plan, boom! I foil it! It's brilliant, brilliant, brilliant, I tell you! Genius, I say!"_

Tucker smirked in triumph, "Yeah, we're pretty sure he thinks you're his arch enemy, or something. The first day you got here, he was saying how we should stay away from and cause you're 'untrustworthy' and 'hiding a dangerous secret.'"

"Is that so? Well?" There it was again. That tenseness while trying to be totally cool with it all. "Do you still think I'm hiding a secret?"

Danny cautiously looked Andrew in the eyes. Everything about him seemed very casual and laid back, but he could tell. There was a certain fear that was there, that he was trying desperately to hide. It was that fear that made Danny pause, and realize something. This wasn't some big evil villain trying to defeat him, like in the comics. This was another kid, like him, just trying to survive with his secrets mostly intact. He slowly nodded, thinking over his words carefully. "I do think you're hiding something. And depending on what it is, it could be dangerous. But I don't think you'd purposefully hurt anyone who didn't deserve it."

He let out a forced chuckle, and seemed to truly relax. His voice was laced with sarcasm, "Well, that certainly is a relief. And here I thought I would have to worry about a fourteen year old boy discovering my secret and putting me and my family to shame, making the town exile us, and force us to go live in the forest, alone, off the land!"

Danny held up two fingers, "Two things. One, you are extremely overdramatic, for a nerd, and that's coming from me. I am like the king of drama. And two, I am fifteen, thank you very much!"

Andrew blinked, "Really? I was being generous when I said fourteen, I thought you were actually thirteen."

Sam waved her hand, a wicked grin making its way onto her face. "Aw, it's alright. Danny's used to a _little_ misunderstanding."

Tucker snickered, "Yeah, it's not our fault he has such a _short_ temper."

Danny narrowed his eyes at his friends' teasing, but his grin showed he wasn't as affected by it as he was dramatizing. "Well, fine! Since you guys obviously don't love me anymore, I'm gonna go to class all by myself, and let the popular girls sit in your seats!"

Sam glared at him, pointing at him with her fork dangerously, "You wouldn't."

He grinned, picking his food and backpack up, and running out the door, tossing the rest of the food in the trash on his way out. "See ya!"

Sam and Tucker looked at each other and nodded in sync, running after him, backpacks askew on their backs. "Get back here, punk! Don't make us tell your parents there was a ghost attack!"

Andrew rose an eyebrow, and finally turned away from the doors and back to his own meal. "Strange bunch."

* * *

_**So, you like? Isn't it great that Danny and Andrew are getting closer? Soon enough, they may even be able to call each other friends! Weird, right? Alright, remember, reviews make me smile! Love you all! Kasena, out!**_


	11. Just A Game

_**AN: Again, late. Ugh. I need to stop getting so absorbed in these drabbles. Well, here you go, my dearest, darling readers! Love you! And if you're taking this too seriously, remember, it's...**_

* * *

_**Just A Game**_

Once they stopped horsing around, Sam, Tucker, and Danny sat in their corner of the bleachers in the back row. Danny in the corner, at the top right of the class, Sam in front of him, and Tucker next to him. His two friends had decided this arrangement at the beginning of the semester without his say. For some reason, they thought that since he was so tiny, he couldn't protect himself. Dash constantly being after him for one thing or another didn't help matters, either. However, when they saw Andrew walk into the class, they all rose their eyebrows. Andrew simply rose his eyebrow at Tucker. The tech geek nodded, and moved up a seat, allowing Andrew the seat next to Danny's. Danny gave him a questioning look. "Why are you sitting there?"

He shrugged, taking his things out and arranging them meticulously on his desk. "Well, I'm fairly certain that the others of this school aren't completely fond of me at the moment. So, it only makes sense for me to sit here. That, and you aren't that bad a person. For a Fenton."

Danny grinned, "Heh, thanks. You're not too terrible, either. For a Riter."

The purple-coated teen smirked, "Touche." There was something familiar about the words. Something Danny couldn't put his finger on, but it was like he had heard the words before. Or at least, something similar to them. But the more he tried to think of it, the more it seemed to escape him, like trying to grip at sand.

Sam narrowed her eyes, as her and Tucker turned to each other. They nodded, and leapt to their feet, Sam barking at him. " Private Tucker! Danny alert Golf Alpha Yankee!"

Danny gave them a bewildered stare, while Andrew dragged a hand down his face. "Woah, wait. Wha-"

"Captain Sam, sir! Designated plan of action, sir?"

Andrew shook his head, his face turning a light shade of red. "Why? It's not like-"

"Undetermined, private! Wait for instructions until they are given!"

Tucker gave her a salute, "Sir, yes, sir!" He and Sam plopped back down into their seats, as though nothing happened.

Danny looked exasperated while those coming into the gym looked at the group oddly. "What are you two talking about?!"

Sam turned to Danny, an almost innocent look on her face, Tucker's mirroring hers. "Danny, what do you mean?"

"Yeah, man, chill out! It's nothing!"

Andrew put a hand on his shoulder, still shaking his head, "Trust me, I- I'm pretty sure you don't want to know."

Tetslaff tweeted her whistle. She smirked up at their group as everyone settled into a seat. "Well, since we apparently got a new student a couple days ago and I didn't notice, what do you all say to showing him a game of dodgeball?"

Most students cheered at the thought of pelting the fresh meat with enough dodgeballs to give his bruises bruises. He schooled his face, and Danny watched, surprised as he looked at his fellow classmates with indifference and disdain. It was weird. Even though he was a nerd, it was like he thought he was so much better than them all. He gave Andrew's arm a small shake, "Hey, man, you alright?"

Andrew shook his head, looking back at Danny. "Yes, I am fine, I just… lose myself, at times. But, thank you, for your concern. At least you'll most likely be on my team.

"Alright. Team Captains, Fenton and Baxter. Get to it!" Danny grinned, and leapt down from the bleachers, bounding to the center of the gym, Dash stomping next to him. "Fenton. Your pick."

He immediately pointed at the goth, "Sam."

Dash nodded at his friend, "Kwan."

"Tucker."

"Jazz." Danny glared at the jock, but said nothing else. After all, for the day, their differences would be settled on the court.

It went on like that, the two picking either those they liked or thought would help their team the most. As they were nearing the end, it was down to Nathan, Lester, and Andrew. Danny was hesitant to pick Andrew. Sure, the guy was cool and all, but he looked pretty scrawny and weak. He'd probably be one of the first ones out. He sighed. Looking at his odds, either way, he'd end up with Andrew, because no way was Dash choosing him. "Andrew."

A small, almost unnoticeable smile quirked at the corner of his lips as he nodded, walking to Danny's side. He nodded at him, as Dash picked Lester, leaving Nathan to join Danny's team.

Looking up from her phone, Tetslaff saw that the teams were assembled. She grumbled, "Alright, alright, everyone against the opposite walls." Watching as they followed her instructions, she put red rubber balls on the center court line. Everyone readied themselves to run either towards them, or away. Surprisingly, Danny saw Andrew with a look of determination he had never seen on the bookworm, before. He analyzed his preconception about the teen, finding it was actually mostly wrong. If he looked closer, he could actually see a bit of muscle definition. _Hm… Maybe he'll actually be helpful. Maybe even as helpful as Sam._

Tetslaff carefully and agonizingly slowly readied her timer in case the game ran long, and then blew her whistle. Danny quickly ran towards the balls, most of his team running away from them, which he rolled his eyes at. Sam was among the 'brave' and also picked one up, throwing it immediately. Danny took a moment to aim, then fired at Star. She pouted as she walked off to join Paulina at the bleachers, who was glaring at Sam. It took a minute, but he realized that Andrew was neither running towards or away from the balls being thrown. He was staying in the same spot he had started in, just moving to the side, and sometimes catching one. When he threw one, though, it reminded Danny of… something. But he couldn't think of what, as his best friend had just gotten out, and was now yelling at Sam from the sidelines. Once she threw the ball in her hands, she turned with a scowl to yell back, only to get hit in the arm.

The techno-geek's eyes widened as he ran, Sam chasing after him on the sidelines. It took a few minutes, but soon, Danny realized that on his team, it was only him, Andrew, and Nathan- Ooh, that had to have hurt. Make that him and Andrew left on his team, and Dash and Kwan on the other. Danny smirked, as he turned to Kwan. "Wow, nice job, Kwan!" He jumped to avoid a throw to his legs. "You've managed to hide behind Dash this whole time!" A duck and slide to the left. He felt the wind whoosh by as a slightly purple ball went speeding past him, hitting Kwan in the shoulder.

The jock's mouth fell open as he glared at Andrew fiercely. Danny looked at the teen, too. He really hadn't seen that coming. _And wait, weren't the balls-_ He looked back to the ball bouncing on the ground, after it's pummeling of Kwan. It was just like any of the others, red rubber, bouncy, hurts when hit. He shook his head. It was probably the sleep deprivation getting to him. Suddenly, he realized what Andrew did. He gave a backwards glance and, without having to explain his plan, the teen nodded. Meanwhile, Dash was looking for a ball on his side of the court. "Aw, man, you, you wimpy fresh meat, are so gonna die."

Andrew gave a large fake yawn. "Coming from you, that doesn't really seem like a threat, Baxter!" Danny watched the two, Andrew completely relaxed, and Dash ready to just run over and pound him. Positive that Dash's attention was now completely on Andrew, Danny picked up the nearest ball, quickly throwing it at Dash.

Dash stopped whatever he was yelling as the ball fell to the ground at his feet. He gaped like a fish, making incomprehensible noises of confusion. The nerds all on the sidelines were shocked into silence, until they stood up cheering, even Valerie clapped. Danny grinned at Andrew, then at Tetslaff, who hopped down from her seat to stand in the middle of the court, holding their arms up high. "The winners, Fenton and the new kid!" Then she gave a smirk that would have made a kid lesser than Danny shrink back. "But, we can't have two winners."

* * *

_**Tetslaff is evil. But kinda sorta cool, in a way. Gonna be honest, I barely remember this chapter. Love you lots, though! Remember, reviews make me smile! Kasena, out!**_


	12. Woes and Defeats

**AN: Hey, there! Guess who's on time! And here we are with the next installment! I know some of you were kinda upset about the cliffhanger, but eh. We all have to suffer...**

* * *

**Woes and Defeats**

Andrew gave her such a glare, he was surprised a hole wasn't burned into her head. Then, of all things, he scoffed, and turned around. "Please. I don't have to participate in such a thing. I've earned my participation points for the day. Declare Fenton the winner."

Danny pouted. Here he was, actually hoping the guy would challenge him. Then, he grinned as he got such a terrible idea he really shouldn't do it. As Andrew walked away, Danny cupped his hand to his mouth, and called, "Yeah, gotta go back to your crappy, no-talent, plotless books!"

Andrew froze, and his shoulders straightened. It was at that moment that Danny realized maybe he should go hide somewhere. Somewhere far far away from the teen that was stomping towards him, eyes an icy blue with a fiery rage. His lips curled up in a snarl as the two teens were nose to nose, and Danny could see the _fangs_ that it looked like he had. "_Alright, __**Fenton.**_" And wow, did this gym have good acoustics, cause his voice was echoing loudly in Danny's ears. "_If It's a game you want, it's a game you'll get. I will send you home to those ghost hunting parents of yours as a box of ashes."_

Danny gulped as the older teenager threw his glasses to Tucker, who scrambled to catch them, and oh crap he was serious. Not even the nerds took off their glasses during gym. He stormed to the other side of the court, crossing his arms and tapping his foot impatiently. Tetslaff let out a bark of laughter, "Now that's what I call enthusiasm!" Danny skittered to his side of the court. Tetslaff put one ball in the center, and tweeted her whistle. Danny ran to it, really not wanting Andrew to get it, only to see he hadn't moved. He cautiously picked up the ball, and stuck his tongue out. Man, he hoped he got this right. He threw it right at Andrew's chest but the jackass dodged the dodgeball, and watched it bounce on the ground. He gave Danny a condescending look that meant how he had expected more from the hunter.

He slowly picked up the ball, rolling it in his hands, throwing it up into the air, then catching it, and doing it all again. Finally, Danny got impatient, and yelled at him, "Just throw the ba-" That was all he got out before the ball came speeding at his stomach, knocking all the wind out of him. He fell to the ground from the force of the ball, his head hitting the gym floor. He felt an intense pain in the back of his head, and he groaned, not moving. All the nerds threw their hands up in celebration that one of their own had won against someone who was actually athletic. He held his head as Tucker was the first to approach Andrew.

He grinned widely, "Dude, how did you do that? That was amazing!"

Andrew shrugged modestly, "It was really nothing, just some calculation of the ball, gravity, etc. Really, any of you could have done it if you were less busy simpering over red rubber." He walked over to where Danny still lay, dazed. He offered his hand to the boy, "Now, what was it you were saying about my books, Danny?"

Danny gave him a lop-sided grin, "That your books are amazing and you have great taste and your hair looks really soft and I may be a little bit out of it."

Andrew rolled his eyes, "I think we're going to get along just fine. Although, do I need to take you to the nurse?"

The younger held up a hand with widely spread fingers. "That many. Gimme that many minutes. I'll be okey dokey. Yep. Absotively."

Andrew rose an eyebrow at Sam and Tucker in question. They both shrugged, leaving him to sigh. "Alright, Danny. Five minutes. No more, no less. If you aren't any better by then, I'm repaying this morning's favor with one of my own."

Danny watched as Andrew walked back to the locker room, and he looked at his friends who were picking him up by the arms with a dazed grin. "I think he likes me."

Sam patted his head, which he gave a purr to. "Yeah, we know, Danny. Now come on, before Dash decides now is the perfect time to pay you back for that game."

He hummed, "You're a good Sammy. Such a good Sammy. I like the Sam. The Sam is the best but Tucker is good too. You know two Sams is better than one Sam. It's like two pizzas. Or two moons. It's two times as great."

Sam shared a worried glance with Tucker, "I think he's-"

"I know. It's almost-"

"I know. What do we-"

"I dunno." Sam sighed, and she helped Tucker grab Danny so he could take him to the guys' locker room. Three minutes later, Andrew came walking over to Danny, who was sitting on one of the benches. His trench coat swirled around him, as he scoffed.

Danny vaguely realized that he was being carried, and he looked up, seeing Andrew, with black around him. Danny slowly shook his head, "What are you doin'?"

He spoke without even looking down at him, "I'm taking you to the nurse. You obviously aren't well, it wouldn't do to let you go to your next class like this."

Danny tried to push away from him, but Andrew only held on to him tighter, and the only thing he got from it was a bit more dizziness. "I'm fine. Really, I'm fine, it happens a lot, I'll be fine." It seemed he said something wrong, because Andrew held him a small bit closer until they got to the nurse. That is, if he wasn't imagining it. They finally reached the nurse, though, where he promptly dropped Danny onto one of the beds.

The nurse turned around, "Well, I didn't think I'd be seeing either of you again, today."

Danny did his best to stand, only to fall back down onto the bed, holding his head. "It's fine, it's good, it's all good, I'm fine, nothing to worry about, I'm fine, yep!"

Andrew sighed, "I have reason to believe he may have a concussion along with sleep deprivation."

She tsk'ed, shaking her head. "Unfortunately, neither of those is really new for him. But, thank you for bringing him down here. He'll be fine soon." He nodded, and turned to leave, until she asked, "How do you know he's got a concussion?"

He bit his lip in guilt, and simply responded, "We have gym together." That said, Danny watched him leave, off to his next class, before the black on the edges of his vision slowly swallowed him up and he fell onto his back on the bed, falling asleep before his head hit the not so comfortable pillow.

* * *

**And there's the rest of the gym fight done, and a bit more! Andrew must've thrown the ball really hard for Danny to get a concussion. It probably wasn't helped by the whole sleep deprivation thing.**


	13. Tired

**AN: Sorry for the super lateness, but here, have a double chapter! Hope you aren't getting too...**

* * *

**Tired**

The rest of the afternoon was uneventful, besides Danny waking up with ten minutes left of school and slowly getting ready to walk to Andrew's for tutoring. Man, could that kid throw hard. How did he even do that?! Even Danny couldn't do that! He shook his head. Just another mystery about Andrew Riter he had to figure out, at some point or another. At this point, they were just piling up. He exited the bathroom in his normal clothes. Seeing that he had fallen asleep in his gym clothes. it was a nice change.

He exited the nurse's office with a sigh. He really hated how often he was there. Looking up, he grinned to see his friends were waiting there, Tucker looking excited to get away from there. He slung his arms over their shoulders. "Man, you guys are the best!" He glanced around, "Hey, where's Count Dorkula?"

"Oh, he said his mom was picking him up, and that he'd see you later." He slowed his walking just a tad. That was kinda disappointing. Andrew _knew_ he'd be coming over, and he still chose to not walk with him… Sam rolled her eyes, "You're going to be seeing him in, like, fifteen minutes, stop looking like some lost puppy!"

He glared, "I am not-" He cut himself off, thinking he heard a chuckle that didn't sound like his two friends. He glared, looking around the halls of the school. Nothing he could see, as far as abnormal. Just a bunch of teens talking and walking and laughing. He scowled for a moment longer until he sighed. "I hate not having those goggles. As far as I know a ghost could be sneaking up on us right now, and I can't even tell, cause what if they can suppress their ghost signature, and that's why my alarm isn't going off?!"

Tucker put a hand on Danny's shoulder, "Dude, calm down. You're fine. Besides, those new goggles are gonna be even better than the ones Andrew broke!"

He stilled, "Yeah… the ones he broke… Hey, guys, tell me if you think I'm crazy, but… maybe he's not so bad." When they remained silent, he continued. "I mean, I ruined one of his books. And, like, you saw how he reacted earlier. I dunno, I'm just thinking… Maybe what he did wasn't so bad. Besides, I mean, it did help me make them better!"

Sam gave him a one armed hug, with one of her rare smiles. "Never thought it coulda happened. Danny Fenton being mature about something for once. This is a huge step, I can tell. And no, you're not crazy. It's called forgiving someone. It's a good thing." She tugged on him towards the doors, "Now, come on! We gotta go, and you gotta get to your boyfriend!"

Danny rolled his eyes, "Wow, Sam. I say one sorta nice thing about him and all of a sudden he's my boyfriend? Does that make you Tucker's girlfriend?"

She froze, glaring at Tucker, "He said what?!" Seeing where this was going, he sped up his pace, slipping away from being sandwiched in between the two.

He began walking towards where he remembered Andrew's house to be, when he heard someone's steps fall in time with his. He slowed his pace, and heard the other footsteps do the same a second later. He turned to see Andrew walking a few feet behind him. He rose an eyebrow, "I thought you were getting a ride."

Andrew shrugged, walking by his side, "I was going to, but I decided not to. Also, you're welcome."

He put his hands in his pockets, "For what?"

The writer smirked, "If it weren't for me, your friends would be chasing after you. But, your friend Sam was 'accidentally' tripped by something." He stiffened as he realized that the boy was… hugging him.

Danny grinned. "Dude, you are awesome. So amazingly awesome, if it weren't for you, I'd be dead."

He nodded, "Yes, as I said, you're welcome." Somehow, they walked like that for a few steps. "Could you please stop hugging me?"

Danny quickly let go, "Oh, yeah, sorry! Heh." Andrew straightened his jacket, and Danny grinned up at him. He took Andrew's arm in his, "I have a feeling we're going to be good friends. Now come on! Let's go! Weeeee'reee OFF TO SEE THE WIZARD! THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF-"

"I don't skip." Danny stopped. "Also, I suspect you still have a concussion."

He shrugged. "Possibly. I dunno, I can't always tell." He grinned, "I get hurt in tons of ghost fights and stuff, so I'm used to pain. It's not that big a deal." His grin began to fall a small amount, until it was back in full force. "It's fine. Besides, my vision isn't blurry, or anything. Hey, uh, by the way, why did you guys move to boring old Amity Park, anyway?"

Andrew shrugged, "Really, there weren't many other places. Having only one parent makes things a bit more... difficult."

Danny nodded. "Yeah, I get it. I mean, I don't _get_ it, but I get it. Valerie's like that, and we talk sometimes. Not as much anymore. We used to be friends in middle school, before she got popular. But yeah, I kinda get it. And having one just makes it easier for you to not really connect with them…" Danny shook his head. "Jeez. We're barely friends, and I'm already telling you my life story!"

Andrew chuckled, "Well, I do like stories. And I think it has to do with the rather dignified aura I give off as a writer." He gave Danny a teasing smile.

He laughed, "Woah, wait, you're a writer?"

Andrew shrugged modestly, "I dabble."

Danny rolled his eyes, "Dabble my ass. With how much reading you do, you could probably be the next Shakespeare." Hearing a scoff, he put his hands on his hips. "Are you doubting me?"

"Please, no one could ever be on the same level as that hack. Why he's remembered to this day, I will never understand. His plots are decent at best, and he hardly has any character development! Women in his stories are either there to lure the protagonist to wickedness, or cause him pain! It's atrocious!" Danny stared at his friend, with both worry and awe. "What?!"

"You really are a nerd…" Rolling his eyes, Andrew walked ahead, Danny jogging to catch up. "Wait, wait, it's not bad! It's kinda cool."

"Well, I would hope so, seeing as you're as much a 'nerd' as I am."

Danny furrowed his brow, "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about the fact that you're a sophomore, and yet you're in precalculus."

His eyes widened, "Oh! But, that's not that big a deal. I mean, my parents are totally into math and science. Science more than math, but eh. They taught me some stuff."

Andrew gave him a rather unamused look, "Your parents are also professional scientists. It is not nothing."

He shook his head. "Whatever, man." They reached Andrew's house, and walked up the steps, Andrew digging his key out from his backpack.

They entered, and Sylvia looked out from the kitchen. "Oh, there you are! I was starting to wonder what was taking so long, but now I see. Nice to see you again… Danny, was it?"

He nodded with a grin, "Yeah, yeah it is."

Andrew nodded to her, "We're going to my room to study, mother." He led the way to the stairs.

Danny grinned, "Yeah, we're going to his nerd lair."

He got a hand shoving him a small amount backwards for his trouble, getting a bit more disoriented than he should have from that. "You brat."

Danny grinned, slowly following him. Once they were in Andrew's room, Andrew tugged on his arm until he was sitting on his bed, and Andrew was looking closely at him with his hands on his face. "Uh… what are you doing?"

"I'm seeing how bad it is. Your pupils seem big, but that could be due to the new environment. Where on your head does it hurt?"

"Uh, the back, where I hit it." He felt Andrew prod around on the back of his head, until he tapped one spot, and he jumped, "Ah!"

"I think I found it."

"No shit."

Andrew shook his head, "You really must use a filter. Are you feeling any headache?"

He shrugged, "Yeah, I mean, I guess, but it's not that bad. I've had worse." He saw Andrew giving him a look that he would almost say was pitying. "What?"

"When you say something like that… Nevermind. We are not studying today. You obviously have a concussion, and need more sleep, so you sleep. I'll be back." Not giving him a chance to argue, he left, going back downstairs to help his mother with the dishes.

Once he was sure he was gone, Danny got up, and walked over to his desk. If there was one thing he and his friends were good at, it was figuring out mysteries. They were almost better than Harry Potter, only their mysteries were less life threatening. He jumped at hearing a meow from behind him, and turned to see Vidya standing indignantly on Andrew's bed, meowing at him. "Go on, I'm just checking a few things."

He picked up a book without a title, or author. Or really, anything on the cover. He opened it, seeing loopy handwriting, and lots of it. He tried to read it, though the words floated off the page, and he held his head again. He carefully put the book back. "Okay, yeah, ow. Bad idea." He trudged back to the bed, falling on top of it, curling in on himself, Vidya making a space for herself in his arms. He chuckled, running a hand down her back. "Serves me right, huh? Trying to read his writing… He's got a bigger stick up his ass about stuff like that than Jazz, I think. I guess I get it though. His writing is like my blueprints. He's just a bit bigger of a dick about it. Wouldn't you agree?" He looked down at Vidya, who looked up and meowed at him. "Yeah, you agree. Alright. Night night, Vidya. Warn me when the dork is coming, huh?"

As his eyes fluttered closed, and his breathing evened out, Andrew shed his invisibility, Vidya shooting him a glance. He rolled his eyes, and in a hushed voice gave an exasperated sigh, "Oh, hush you. He doesn't realize it was my _writing_ he ruined." She meowed at him, to which he huffed, "Well, excuse me! I don't think I have to explain myself to you! When did you become so talkative, anyway?" She simply laid her head back down, underneath Danny's hand.

Andrew sighed, brushing some hair from Danny's eyes. "You don't typically do what you're supposed to, do you?" He took his blanket from the foot of the bed, and covered Danny with it, leaving the room again, but not before taking his journal with him. "At least you didn't read anything."

* * *

**So, there's gonna be another chapter, too. See you there!**


	14. Girl Talk

**Girl Talk**

Danny was jostled awake a few hours later by Andrew, who was shaking him. "Unless you're staying for dinner, I should have mother drive you home."

He rubbed his eyes, Vidya leaping down from her rather comfortable spot. "Ugh, what time is it?"

"It's nearly seven o'clock." Danny leapt up from the bed, throwing his backpack on.

"Aw, crud! They're gonna kill me if they realize I was gone! I gotta go, I gotta run, literally, I-"

Andrew put a hand on his shoulder, and he paused. "Danny, it's fine. You can tell them you were studying with a friend, and my mother will be taking you home."

"Your… your mom?"

He nodded, "Yes, we figured it would cause less problems that way, since we already know where you live. Unless that house with the giant Fenton Works sign isn't yours?"

Danny slowly nodded, "Yeah, but, I… why would your mom do that? She barely knows me."

Andrew gave him a strange look. "While that may be true, you are going to be coming over more often. It makes sense. And after all, you say she barely knows you. Maybe this is her wanting to get to know you."

He nodded. He followed Andrew down the stairs, seeing Sylvia put on her jacket. "Alright, come on, then. I'm sure your parents are missing you."

He restrained himself from rolling his eyes, though a mutter did slip out. "As if they ever would."

Sylvia gave him a small smile. "Come on. We better get you home. The faster you get there, the faster tomorrow will come, and the faster you can come back." Danny nodded, looking at Andrew, then at Sylvia.

He flung himself at Andrew, squeezing him into a hug. Through a grin, he mumbled, "Your mom… your mom is great." He let go, looking back up at Sylvia, refusing to acknowledge the pin pricks at the corners of his eyes. Nope. They were not there, he was not about to start crying, not at all. "Yeah, I… I should go."

Sylvia opened the door, ruffling his hair on his way out. She turned to Andrew, "I'll only be a minute." He nodded, and she gently closed the door behind them. Danny followed her skittishly. He waited until he saw her getting in, and got in on the passenger side. He buckled in his seat belt, and sat quietly with his hands in his lap, his leg bouncing no matter how hard he tried to keep it still. They drove in silence, until Sylvia cleared her throat. "So, Danny. What is it your parents do?"

"Oh, uh, they're scientists. They study ghosts."

"Well, it sounds like they're rather busy." He nodded, tilting his head down to hide behind his hair. He heard her make a disappointed tsk. "Apparently a little too busy. Why would they let your hair get so long? It covers your pretty blue eyes."

He gave a small smile, "Actually, my sister is the one that cuts my hair. I'm just lucky I've been able to avoid her for the past few months. Everytime I turn a corner, I keep thinking she's going to jump out with scissors and styling cream."

She gave a small chuckle, and to Danny, it reminded him of sun on a rainy day. "Sounds like you never have a dull day."

He shook his head. "Not really, no." He looked out the window, seeing the green glow slowly approaching. "But maybe a dull day wouldn't be so bad…" The car slowly came to a stop, and he grabbed his backpack, exiting. "Thanks for the ride, Ms. Riter."

She smiled at him, "Any time, Danny. Whenever you need anything, our door is open."

He gave her a wider smile. "Thanks. I'll remember that." He closed the door behind him, and walked up to the door, knocking.

The door was thrown open by a redhead that Sylvia had maybe seen around town, or at the school once. Jazz gasped. "Danny!" She brought her brother in for a hug, nagging his ear off with everything and how she was worried about him, dragging him inside, and shutting the door. Sylvia smiled, and drove back home, now that Danny was safe at home, with someone who loved him. At least there was two good Fentons.


	15. Hey Brother

The rest of the week passed without too much of an event, besides the occasional ghost fight. Danny didn't even see Michael for the rest of the week. He found it strange, but brushed it off. The less ghosts there were for him to deal with, the better. He hung out in front of the Nasty Burger, waiting, and grinned when Andrew finally came walking around the corner. "Geez, man, I thought you were all proper and gentlemanly and stuff. Making me wait. What kind of knight in shining glasses are you?"

Andrew rolled his eyes, adjusting the books under his arm. "Somehow, one that got himself mixed up in your shenanigans."

Danny scoffed, putting a hand to his chest. "Wow. Rude. I am so hurt right now. And here I was, about to buy you food."

He looked again at the fast food restaurant, then back to Danny. "Really? From… here?"

Danny put a hand on his hip, "Oh, I see how it is. You're too good for some greasy burgers and fries. News flash! You're a teen. About time you started acting like one."

He took one of Andrew's hands, dragging him into the place, and taking his favorite corner booth seat at the back. "Man, this place is the best. And the greatest thing is no adults. They stay away because so many kids hang out here. Isn't it great?"

Andrew took one of the available napkins, wiping up a splatter of indeterminable liquid from the table. "Indeed… Really, why here?"

Danny rolled his eyes. "Why not? I invited Sam and Tucker so they'll be coming soon, and this is a great meet up place, and this way we all get food. If the cheapskates have money this time. Lame."

Andrew copied the motion the younger had done, rolling his own eyes. "So we're only here because you're hungry."

Danny crossed his arms, "Look me in the eyes and tell me you don't want anything to eat."

Andrew leaned over the table with a glare. "I will not eat anything, because I am above this… this oil pile, and I am not hu-" His stomach gurgled, effectively cutting him off, and striking him silent. His face lightly flushed as he fell back into his seat. Seeing Danny's snickers, he scowled. "Not a word."

Danny smiled. "Pat pat, Andrew." At the look he was given, he shrugged. "What? I would actually pat you, but," His hand pawed uselessly in the air, "You're so far…"

The bookworm put his head in his hand. "How on earth have I put up with you…"

"I'm lovable." Andrew looked up, only to be greeted by the biggest, sunniest grin the teen could manage. He only sighed again, putting his head back in his hand. Danny cleared his throat. "Okay, so, uh, I'm still not really getting it. Hamlet's uncle killed his dad to be king and marry his mom? How messed up is that guy? He's a total fruitloop. God, he reminds me of Vlad." At Andrew's questioning look, he explained. "Vlad is this one guy I met at my parent's college reunion, he's this like secret ghost hunter, and he tried to kill Dad to get with Mom, I think. I dunno, it was really weird."

Andrew shook his head, "That sounds incredibly confusing. But then if you have a real life example, why aren't you understanding this?"

"I dunno, I mean, I guess-"

"DANNY! TELL HIM TO KNOCK IT OFF!"

"NO, NUH UH, DON'T YOU GO PINNING THIS ON ME YOU'RE THE ONE OVER THERE WITH YOUR GOTHY ANGST!"

Danny sighed as Tucker sat next to him, and Sam next to Andrew, effectively trapping them both in. The one downside to a booth. "What are you guys even arguing about this time?"

Sam crossed her arms, looking away from them, while Tucker stuck his nose up in the air defiantly. In unison, they both declared, "Nothing!" And glared at each other again.

Danny pushed away from the table, "Oookay, hey, Tuck, why don't you come with me to get food?" The geek nodded, and the boys got up from the table to wait in line. "Alright, man. What's going on with you two?"

Tucker shook his head, taking out his PDA. "Uh uh, no way, man. I'm not talking about this. That's her business she wanted to tell me about. I ain't gonna break the bro-not-a-bro code."

"Whatever, man. You got money?"

Tucker took out his wallet with a smirk. "Guess who got payed."

Danny grinned, "Dude, nice! That electronic store is the best thing to ever happen to you."

Tucker nodded. "Yeah, definitely. Speaking of best things to happen to people…" He put a hand on Danny's shoulder. "Bro, me and Sam, you know we love ya, right?"

Danny's eyes widened, "Uh, yeah, I mean, I guess…"

"And you know we'll accept you no matter what?"

"Is this going somewhere?"

Tucker opened his mouth to say something, only for the cashier to say "Next!"

He deflated, and they stepped forward. "I'm just saying, you don't need to hide anything from us."

His eyes widened as his thoughts raced. Was it possible he knew? That they knew? But he had been so careful! He had made sure there was no way anyone could know! But then why was he acting like he knew? How could he possibly know how scared he was- His thoughts broke when Tucker bumped him with his elbow. "Hey, man, order your food."

He nodded, "Oh, uh, right. Um, Large fry, chocolate shake. Uh, large for that one, too. Oh, yeah, and a small coffee!" He gave the cashier her money, responding to her fake smile with one of his brighter, more genuine ones. He turned to Tucker as they went back to their seat. "So, what did you get?"

"I got the ultimate Mighty Meaty burger, and a salad, and some soda."

"Dude, nice. Why the salad?"

Tucker tossed his head in the goth's direction. "Why do you think?"

He rose his hands in defense. "Well, sorry! I didn't think she threatened you to buy her food, again!"

Tucker sighed, "Why do I bother?"

They got back to the table, Danny sliding into his seat, Andrew not looking very amused. "Manson, I say we drop the issue and never speak of this again."

Danny rose an eyebrow, "What are you two talking about?"

Andrew glared down at the table. "_We_ weren't. She was attempting to start a conversation, which failed."

Sam smirked, turning to Danny, "So, what did you two talk about?

Danny shook his head hopelessly, "I don't even know." He gasped happily, and dug into his bag. "I forgot I brought these so I can show you guys!" He tugged his 'goggles' out of his backpack, holding them up triumphantly. "Okay, so it's just the skeletal frame, but still! Maybe in a few months, I'll have these babies up and running again!"

Andrew furrowed his brow. "What do you mean again? And what _are_ they?"

Danny rubbed the back of his neck. "Right. I forgot… See, um, do you maybe remember my backpack exploding on your first day?"

He scoffed, "How could I forget? To be honest, it was quite impressive."

"Heh, yeah. Well, the thing is. It was the first model of these. But it's okay! That actually made me realize a few things! Like how I can make them waterproof! Presenting the beginnings of the Fenton Goggles 2.0! They can see in infrared, ultraviolet, and they can see ghost signatures even if the ghost is invisible! Well, they'll be able to. Later. I'm still working on them, obviously. But when they're done, I'm gonna show them off to my parents! Then… then they'll see…"

Tucker slung an arm over his friend's shoulders, and Sam sent him a reassuring smile. "Yeah. They'll see you're an even more kickbutt ghost hunter than they are."

Andrew gaped at his proclamation. "You mean… I destroyed…"

Danny waved his hands, "No, no, no! Well, yes, but like I said, it's fine! They're gonna be even better now!"

"I-" He was cut off by the sound of Danny's ghost alarm going off, which Danny's eyes immediately jumped to.

"Shit!" He jumped out of his seat, and took out his ecto pistol, running out of the restaurant ready to face yet another ghost.


	16. Closer

He looked around frantically, searching the skies for the ghost that had set his alarm off. He growled, ready to shout out before having something launched into his side, knocking him to the ground. He attempted to get up, only to realize he was trapped in a glowing green net. He froze, realizing only one ghost used weapons. He glared at the figure that came to stand over him, hissing his name out like a curse. "Skulker."

"Finally." His somewhat metallic voice grated on Danny's ears, making him glare harder. "You have proved to be a rather elusive prey. But I finally have you. Would you rather be stuffed whole? Or just your head?"

He opened his mouth to let out a scathing remark- Okay, probably more like a pun, but he digressed. But someone got to it before he could. "Hmph. Really, now this is hardly a fair fight."

The two looked over to see Michael standing- well, floating- with his arms crossed, looking unimpressed. Danny grinned. "About time! I was wondering when you'd show up!"

Michael rolled his eyes, taking advantage of Skulker's apparent shock. "Says the ghost hunter to the ghost."

Skulker finally reigned in his flabbergasted state. "You! You're the ha-"

He never got to finish his sentence as a purple ectoblast had gone barreling at his head. "The handsome ghost who's going to help defeat you? Why yes, yes I am."

Another blast of purple came at the net, and Danny was free, gun trained on Skulker's slowly recovering form. He raised an eyebrow to Michael. "Handsome?"

The ghost shrugged, "Do you deny it?"

Danny thought about it, shrugging. It's not like he was hard to look at, even for a ghost. Although he really shouldn't have been looking at all, seeing as he was a ghost. "Yeah, I mean, I guess you don't look that bad, for someone who probably lived through the 80s."

Michael scoffed, "How dare you! It's the clothes, isn't it?" He threw his head back rather snootily, "Well, excuse me for having reasons to wear this atrocious clothing!"

Danny chuckled, keeping his aim steady. "We can talk about your terrible fashion when the ghost is down. Come on."

Skulker rose with a snarl at Michael. "You're going to pay for that, whelp!"

Michael gave Skulker a rather offended expression. "Did you hear that, Danny? He called me a whelp!"

Danny nodded, "I did indeed." The two slowly separated, walking to either side of Skulker, but not within grabbing range.

"Honestly, I can't believe it." Skulker turned completely to Michael, and Danny readied his gun. "I mean, for him to call me a whelp? What about himself? With that giant metal suit, do you think he's compensating for something?"

As Skulker was about to shout at the dead teen that he wasn't, he was blasted forward from behind. He turned around to see Danny holding his gun at his side, the tip still smoking. Danny smirked. "Oh, definitely. With all those weapons, how could he not be? Unless he's trying to impress someone."

Skulker scowled as Michael laughed, "Is that why you carry so much ghost equipment? I'm afraid I don't feel the same!"

The mecha watched as Danny dramatically sighed. "Oh no! He doesn't care for me! What ever shall I do?" Skulker was getting fed up with these charades. And when a blast once again hit his back, he clenched his fist, calling forth the weapons from his back. Unfortunately, they didn't obey.

"What- What did you do?!"

Michael snickered. "Oh, nothing much." Small flames appeared in his grey hand. "It's amazing what fire does to technology."

Skulker was about to just leap forward and strangle the dead teen, when the head of the mecha suit was snatched off by a running Danny. "Got it! Ew, there's green goop in it. You're a ghost, you take care of it!"

Michael sighed, "I think that green goop is a ghost." He picked the ghost up by the feet, ignoring the curses it was screaming at them. "If you would."

Danny obligingly retrieved the Thermos, capturing a tiny Skulker. He grinned at Michael. "Not too bad, Mikey. That whole distract attack thing works good!"

"Well."

"Well what?" Seeing Michael's sigh, he chuckled. But really, it did seem to work well for them. As proven in two fights, now. And it worked with almost the same efficiency with Andrew, if the dodgeball game counted. Andrew! Oh, his friends were still at the Nasty Burger! He quickly picked up his things, "See ya, Mikey!"

With a backwards wave, he ran back to the Nasty Burger only for Sam and Tucker to tell him that Andrew had gone home. His face fell a bit at that, but he smiled. At least he could hang with his other two friends for the rest of the day. And Andrew was probably alright. Everything was fine.


	17. Sorry

Everything was not fine. Danny was fighting with his parents again, nothing new there, things were stressed between Sam and Tucker, again nothing new, and Andrew seemed to be distancing himself. Now, that wasn't new, either, he had done that the first couple of days. But a week later, Danny thought things were going well with his new friend! His mistake.

When they met back up again on Monday in English, Andrew was barely talking to him. To try to get him to talk, Danny had asked him what book he was reading, but all Andrew did was show him the cover. He slumped in his seat, reading in a monotone when Lancer called on him. He thought he saw Andrew glance over, but when he looked back, he was still absorbed in his book. He sighed, barely reacting when the bell rang. As Andrew packed up, Danny called to him in a small voice, not looking up to him, "Hey, Andrew?"

The older teen stopped and seemed to sigh, responding without even looking at him. "Yes?"

"Did I… Did I do something?" He gripped the pencil in his hands tightly.

Andrew finally turned to him with what looked like pity. "No, you didn't. Remember how you kept saying I have a secret? Well…" He trailed off, Danny looking up at him. "I do. I won't be telling you what it is anytime soon, if at all." Danny deflated again, eyes fixed on his desk, tensing at the hand on his shoulder. "But if I could, I might. But I just… can't… I- I'll see you in third period."

Danny's hands shook as he finally snapped the pencil he had been holding. He picked his stuff up quickly, and nearly ran out of the room. He holed himself up in one of the bathrooms, trying his best to not totally break. _I knew it. It's all my fault. All because I destroyed his book on his first day. He hates me now. He's probably only been hanging out with me because he pitied me. Maybe he was trying to find the best way to break me. Why would anyone be friends with the screw up from the ghost-crazy family? Sam and Tucker are probably gonna leave, too. Then it'll just be me, Jazz will be too busy, Mom and Dad don't even care, it'll just be me by myself and I can't do it by myself I can't I can barely do it with them I can't do it without them and they're going to leave because they all hate me and-_

The lock on the bathroom door popped open, and he slowly looked up, vision blurred. Tucker crouched down to his level. "Hey, man. It's alright. Things are all good, right now. You want any help?" Danny shook his head no, and Tucker stood, offering a hand to him. "Wanna go to class?" Another, more hesitant shake, and he gave him a small smile. "Okay, I deserved that one. No one really wants to go to class. Are you going to go to class?"

Danny sighed, taking Tucker's hand, using his friend to get up. "Might wanna clean yourself up a bit, first." Danny nodded, going to the sink and splashing his face, drying it off. He tried to give Tucker a smile, to which the geek smiled at. "Come on, I told Alberts it'd only be five minutes. After all, I need my programming bud. You're the only reason my programs don't all die."

Danny gave him a weak chuckle. "I'm your programming duck."

Tucker nodded with a shrug. "Well, that too. But I meant it doesn't feel right doin' it without you there."

Danny's grin became more genuine as Tucker slung an arm over his shoulders. "Thanks, Tuck."

"Anything for my brother."

As Danny sat down with his lunch, he saw Andrew walking between the tables with his food, and gave a small wave. When the teen walked on by without a second look at Danny, his smile disappeared. Tucker sighed, "Come on, man. Maybe he's just having a bad day. I know how Sam's like that, sometimes. When she's in a bad mood, so's everyone else."

She growled, "Yeah, and I'm about to be right now. I'll be right back."

They watched as she got up and stomped over to the wall Andrew had decided to sit against for lunch, chewing him out. Danny bit his lip. "This… this is bad. This is gonna end terribly."

Tucker shrugged, picking up a fry and examining it. "It can't be that bad."

The two looked on as Sam started dragging Andrew to their table by the collar of his coat and none too gently setting him down on the seat. "Now."

Andrew, looking rattled, cleared his throat, straightening his scarf and fiddling with the ends of it. "Well, um, yes, I… Now, you must realize it wasn't my intent-" He sighed, composing himself and pushing up his glasses. "I do sincerely apologize if I said something to offend you, earlier. It truly was a mistake on my part, and some of the phrasing truly could have been better. As you said, depending on the view point, things could be dangerous, but it's nothing you should worry about. It is in fact for that reason that I was _trying_ to not get too close to any of you."

Sam rose an eyebrow. "Dude, really? We're best friends with the guy who puts himself in danger every day and hunts things that could make him as dead as they are, and you're worried about safety? You picked the wrong friend group."

"Now that that's all said and done, I will be-" He rose to leave, trying to turn only to be stopped by a hand gripping his jacket sleeve. He furrowed his brow at seeing Danny was the one holding on.

He gave the bookworm a hopeful smile. "It's too late. You're stuck with us. And no matter what you say, we're gonna be friends."

Tucker nodded. "It's true. I barely lasted a week."

"You were five."

"Still! You try saying no to the puppy dog eyes! Do it, I dare you!"

Andrew rolled his eyes and looked down at Danny, who was still doing his best to smile at the bookworm. Andrew paused, and sat back down with a sigh. "Fine. But just so you know, it's not because I want to. It's because I don't doubt that you would stick to me like… something sticky I can't think of at the moment, and because I'm sure if I refused, she would attempt to strangle me with my own scarf."

Danny's smile grew and he let out a laugh, "Maybe, I dunno, glue? Jeez, I thought you were a writer."

Andrew playfully glared. "I'm coming to terms with things, I am allowed to be inarticulate."

Danny nodded, "Yep. He's back to normal." Neither of his friends seemed to comment on the fact that he felt like he was back to normal, too. But that was okay. Maybe things weren't fine, but they were okay. He could at least count on that.


	18. Author's Note

**AN: Hey, guys, it's Kas. Sorry for the no updates, recently. I wrote the first few chapters of this almost a year ago, and I'm looking back on it now and realizing it really sucked. So, I'm planning on rewriting it. But, since NaNoWriMo is coming up, I also plan on making this story my project, so hopefully by the end of November I'll have some chapters coming out. I hope you guys understand!**


End file.
